Book One: Secret of the Wisteria
by Official Waifu
Summary: Meet Fujiwara Yuuki; best friend of Kagome's, attends Junior High, has her own club, also lives at Fujiwara Shrine. Nothing too interesting until she slips through the floorboards of her storage house and falls into an abyss to another time and place. [Slow Burn]
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**A/N**

 **This account is a secondary account. I will be revamping and uploading stories to this site, however please check Quotev for more stories by me I am unable to upload to this site.**

 **Please enjoy**

* * *

"Wait- _what?_ " Yuuki snapped her head towards her friend looking almost offended, her lavender eyes blinking in bewilderment. "You can't be serious."

Her friend, Eri, blinked back at her innocently. "What do you mean?" She asked confused. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

Yuuki responded with a guilty silence. Her body went stiff with discomfort at both the topic of discussion and at the present company. Her eyes darted around the cramped city transit at the passengers, ranging from men in business suits to old women in their seats to students such as themselves, all of them staring out the windows or at their feet. Perhaps they were lost in their own worlds, or perhaps they were eavesdropping, overhearing just how oblivious she was at... _romance_.

Kagome Higurashi was Yuuki's childhood friend, and as such Yuuki convinced her to join her acrobatics club. Yet with illnesses keeping her home, Yuuki was forced to find someone else to fill her spot, and her best choice was Eri. She wasn't regretting it until now. Thinking that, she eyed Eri in annoyance as the girl shook her head helplessly with a condescending smile. "I haven't known anybody as clued out as you when it comes to these things."

With Yuuki's increased annoyance and embarrassment, her face easily flushed red with heat rising to it. "Well I _apologize_ , Eri, for being focused on studies rather than the latest gossip." She turned back to the window next to her stubbornly, hoping to hide her blush.

"Oh, don't be like that!" Eri slapped Yuuki's shoulder rather hard, earning her a sharp glare, yet was wildly unaffected by it. Shows how often she earned that look. "No need to be embarrassed. Even though it's _so_ obvious; one look tells it all!" Yuuki narrowed her eyes threateningly at Eri's sly and mischievous sideways smile. "Which reminds me on _another_ obvious couple..."

Yuuki's eyes brows twitched together ever so slightly, revealing her confusion, her mind racing through the number of people she knew, trying to find the missing piece. Eri, meanwhile, sweat-dropped as she could practically see the gears frantically turning in her friends head based off her intense expression. "Um, Yuuki?" She tilted her head to try and catch her attention. "I'm talking about Yuka and Seiji..."

"What!?" That snapped Yuuki back at attention, but she couldn't hide her shock.

Eri watched her concerned. "No need to get so upset about it, Yuuki."

Yuuki's frown only deepened as her blush became more intense. Glaring back out the window she said, "I don't see why everyone is going steady. They're only in junior high."

"Oh, get _real_ , would ya?" Eri shook her head helplessly again and a tick mark sprung up on Yuuki's head. She tried to ignore her as she continued speaking, " _Already_ in junior high is more like it. It's hardly unusual; plenty of girls already have boyfriends! I mean, just last week Masaomi came up to me-" Yuuki closed her eyes and focused on the noise of traffic to drown her friend out. Romance, boyfriends- she didn't care. She didn't care about everyone's love lives and _especially_ didn't care about someone pointing out to her that she was mediocre at the subject. It wasn't important!

That's when Eri's disheartened sigh reached her ears. "Poor Kagome, if she keeps being sick like this then she won't be able to get together with Hojo..."

The bristles fell away as Yuuki glanced at her worried friend. Eri stared out the window as she was lost in thought. A small sigh slipped through Yuuki's nose. Of course Eri was just being her harmless self. Closing her eyes she replied, "I wouldn't worry too much about Kagome and Hojo." Kagome was as interested in Hojo as Yuuki was about the topic it seemed. At least Kagome never _seemed_ interested. Yuuki's brows knitted in conflict. Perhaps she was just oblivious... then did Kagome really like him? Yuuki began thinking to hard.

Eri smiled at her. "Well, if _you're_ saying that then maybe there's hope for them yet!"

Yuuki shot her a suspicious glance. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Ignoring her question, Eri looked to the ceiling as she counted on her fingers. "Let's see, there's Anri, Yuka, Koko- oh, even Benio!"

Benio- Benio from the club? Again Yuuki's mind was working frantically to figure out what she was missing. She didn't have classes with the girl, only the club, and in the club there was- Yuuki's eyes snapped open. " _Rokuro_." That loud boy that seemed popular and always paired with Benio in the club.

Eri stared at her, slightly startled at her deep tone. "Did it just click for you?"

Yuuki's grip on the handlebar tightened as she stared back out the window, her face feeling hot with frustration. "It's not my job to keep track of school gossip. What matters to me is grades, the acrobatics club, and my family's shrine. I don't have time for anything outside of those things."

Eri stared at her not believing a word of it. Then she broke into a mischievous smirk and invaded Yuuki's personal bubble. "I heard Ryuji has an eye for you," she sang. Yuuki refused to flinch, glaring adamantly out the window, however her body betrayed her as her blush grew. Eri leaned back and laughed. "You blush so easily, Yuuki! It's hilarious!"

Yuuki groaned from annoyance. "Quit pointing that out."

"I can't help it!" Eri smiled, "You're adorable when you do that!"

"Yeah, well, adorable wasn't the image I was going for."

Eri leaned back against the window and looked up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "For someone as clueless as you, you sure do have a lot of admirers. Ryuji, that boy from 2-B-" she then suddenly gasped when she remembered, "And that upperclassman Kurosawa! He's so dreamy!" Yuuki only groaned.

Right on cue, the tone came on over the bus speakers. "Fujiwara Shrine, Fujiwara Shrine. Please ring the bell if you want to get off." Sighing in relief, Yuuki jabbed the button with bruising force. Freedom.

The bus slowed to a stop in front of the short stone staircase that led to the shrine. Passengers glanced out the windows to see a direct view of the giant wisteria tree that stood tall in front of Yuuki's home planted in the courtyard. Eri pouted at her, "Why don't you ever invite me over?"

"Gee I wonder." Eri stuck her tongue out after her as she hurried off the bus.

After the bus closed its doors and drove away, Yuuki heard a crowd of voices, children's laughter and gleeful screams. A lot of people, she thought as she hurried up the stairs. Full view of the courtyard, the large property was overrun with small vendors and stands from local shops. People flooded the courtyard, taking pictures of the wisteria tree, dressed in kimonos and yukatas, carrying wooden dolls with them. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, her family's Doll Festival was a hit this year.

"Yuuki!" A young boy's familiar voice called out to her and she turned.

She smiled, "Souta." Kagome's younger brother ran up to her and hugged her around the waist without hesitation. She hugged him back and commented, "You're all dressed up!"

"Yeah, well," he pulled back and blushed lightly, scratching his cheek bashfully. "I had it lying around and I had some time, so I thought why not get ready, you know?"

"Souta had us buy it for him the other day," his mother replied as she walked up.

"Mom!"

Yuuki turned and smiled at her and Kagome's grandfather as they approached. "Mr. and Ms. Higurashi," she bowed.

"No need to be so formal!" The grandfather laughed.

Standing straight, she perked up and asked, "Is Kagome here?"

Ms. Higurashi smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry, dear, but she's still sick" Yuuki's smiled faded. "But she had a message for you, she misses you and wish she could be here. She also said she would be sure to make it up to you, she knows how important this festival is to your family."

Yuuki shook her head, "No, tell her it's fine," she waved it off. She didn't feel the festival had great importance, she didn't know much about its origins. At the Doll Festival, people came to purchase wooden dolls. They would scribble the names of the ones they wished to see again onto the doll and then burn them in a large bonfire. As the smoke rose her father the Priest would send the messages to the heavens. That's all she understood about it. Other than that, she was only here to assist. "Tell her I hope she gets well soon."

"Of course," she nodded.

"Please excuse me," she bowed to them again and set her hand on Souta's head before running off, Souta blushing. Holding onto her backpack straps, she maneuvered though the crowd towards the back of the courtyard. Behind the wisteria tree, her parents were dressed in their shrine attire.

Sensing her, as a customer walked away with a wooden doll, her father looked over and frowned. Head and facial hair jet black, heavy brows and striking lavender eyes, he was an intimidating man. "You're late."

Her mother then spun around, her hair long and wild, brown light her daughters, though her eyes were a warm brown as well. She smiled at her, "Yuuki, welcome home!"

"Sorry, sir," Yuuki bowed to her father as her mother pouted. "I had practice today for my club." She turned, "I'll go change right away-"

"Before you go," she waited as her father brought a key out form his pocket and handed it to her. "Go around to the shed and bring me some more amulets, please. Your mother and I can handle things here."

Yuuki nodded as she accepted the key, "Yes, sir."

"She's so strict like you," her mother pouted as Yuuki ran off around the shrine.

Hurrying past the wisteria tree and around her home, she reached the locked storage house. She walked up to the wooden doors and lifted the heavy padlock. Twisting the key inside, it unlocked with a heavy click. The doors were heavy set and slow to open as she pulled them outward, orange light from the sunset flooding in. She should have brought a flashlight, she thought as the light only reached so far back. She frowned to herself with a sigh, "They should be in the far back on the left..." She wandered inside, stretching her arms out and taking cautious steps as it got darker further in. She took a light step that seemed safe, but when she went to take another the wood broke and she yelped, her leg falling through. She landed on her knee hard, causing her to wince, but she then sighed in relief. Frowning down at the broken floor she said, "Damn, no wonder he wanted me to come in here. He probably would have fallen straight through." Gently she pulled her leg back out. "No matter what I do the floor is just rotted. I need father to replace it soon before someone gets hurt. Now…" She squinted her eyes as she peered at the top shelves and took another step, only to break through the floor a second time.

She gasped and tried to grab onto something, but wood continued to break and she lost all footing. Her eyes widened as she realized she was falling, and there was nothing catching her. Where was the ground? Her lavender eyes widened in fear as she stared up at the hole she fell through, moving too quickly for her to process, her heart hammering in her chest. Scream- scream for help, she thought desperately, but her throat closed up as she reached up. The hole in the floor became nothing but a spec and she was swallowed in the abyss.

* * *

"Lady Kinya, Lady Kinya!"

A priestess with long black hair paused and turned. She smiled at the little girls that ran up to her, "Hello, you two. What is it you need?"

"Can you help us with the herb garden?" One of them asked. "We're not sure what we're looking for and grandpa will just get cranky again!"

Lady Kinya chuckled, "Very well, I'll meet you there."

"Thanks, Lady Kinya!" The girl said as they ran off.

A woman also in Shrine Maiden attire turned to the priestess and frowned. "M'lady, you're busy today. I don't believe you'll have time..."

Kinya turned to the younger woman and smiled, "It's fine, I need to spend more time in my village. I won't take very long."

"Yes, M'lady," the woman bowed and shuffled off.

Once Kinya was left alone, she felt it. A sensation from far away, a foreign one that was brought into this world by force. She frowned at eyed the distance, her silver eyes narrowing. Worn on display around her neck, a blue pearl shone and voices flooded her head. "Yes, I know." She reached up and fiddled with the jewel to quell the voices. "Something is not right..." She could sense evil making its move.

* * *

Yuuki groaned as she tried to open her eyes. There was a harsh and blinding light that made her flinch away. Lifting her heavy arm to shield her face, she peeked her eyes open to realize it was the midday sun beating down on her.

Noon...?

Adrenaline surged through her veins and she sat up in a heartbeat. Heart pounding, she took in her surroundings with wide eyes. "What's... What's going on?" Whipping her head around, she saw no sign of her home or the storage house. She was lying on a beaten path that cut through a forest. She didn't hear a crowd of voices, or traffic from the road. She only heard birds and the wind shaking the leaves.

"Where..." _Where am I?_ She felt herself begin to tremble as her eyes darted around. She swallowed hard and pressed her hands to her chest, trying to steady her heart. "Breathe," she whispered to herself. "Breathe, calm down..." She took a deep breath.

She fell through the floorboards of the storage house. It was evening then. How long was she unconscious for? How did she end up here? She closed her eyes tight and tried to find logic in the situation. _A tunnel underneath the storage house? Never mind that_ , she got to her feet and dusted her green school skirt off. From the pocket she pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. On instinct she speed dialed her home phone and waited, but received a dead dial tone. She pulled the phone back to see she didn't have any signal. She glared, "Dammit." Snapping it shut, she then hollered, "Mom!? Dad!?" She waited. "Souta!? Anyone!?" A bird was startled from its branch, other than that there was no response.

Releasing a heavy breath, she pressed her phone to her forehead. "First rule of survival, remain where you are until someone finds you." However, she began to have the distinct feeling she wasn't anywhere near home, and no one was finding her anytime soon. She pocketed her phone and looked around her surroundings again. Spotting her backpack that had fallen away from her, she picked it up and dusted it off before shouldering it.

Yuuki steeled her nerves and gained composure. Taking a breath, she schooled her features to her normal indifference and began walking. "I have to still be in Japan at least," she murmured to herself.

Yuuki walked for about an hour and the path led her deeper into the forest. Coming up on a fork in the road, a voice of a man caught her attention. "...my daughter!"

She gasped in relief and broke out into a sprint. She turned on the fork and rounded a corner, but stopped short when she came upon three people. Two men, one of them on in years, and a woman. They were dressed in older rustic clothing, and they seemed distraught, angry even. Yuuki froze in place, wondering if she should approach. "E-Excuse me..." Something didn't feel right, her nerves were on edge.

The man spun around and glared right at her. Her eyes widened at the sight of his rage filled ones. He seemed close to snapping. "There it is!" He bellowed, jabbing a finger at her. The other two noticed her, and when they raised their rustic katanas, Yuuki realized they were all on the verge of insanity.

"W-wait-" she put her hands up in peace, but took a step back. "Please, I'm lost, I-"

"Filthy demon!" The woman spat at her, tears welling in her eyes. "Watch for its forked tongue!"

Not good. This was not good. This was a very dangerous situation. "Demon," the man growled, "where have you taken my daughter!?"

Yuuki tried to speak calmly, "I am not a demon, please, I'm _lost_ -"

"Capture it!" The woman shouted. "Make it talk!"

"Kill it!" The elder man chimed in. It was a lost cause. Worried for her own safety, Yuuki turned and bolted in the opposite direction. "Don't let it get away! Catch it!"

This wasn't right. This was too bizarre. This was insane! Yuuki huffed as she tore down the path, leaving the old man and woman in the dust. The other man was fit and had a foot on her and tailed her for a while, screaming and hollering in rage, threatening to tear her apart and feed her to the dogs. _Insane, these people are insane_ , she thought as she huffed and ran. She pushed her body to its limit and outran the man. She didn't stop until she couldn't see or hear him anymore. When it was finally safe, she slowed to a stop and looked back, breathing hard, sweat running down her face. There wasn't any sign of them. "I lost them..." She breathed in relief and bend forward, resting her hands on her knees.

 _This must be a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland_ , Yuuki thought as she caught her breath. The only people she had found called her a demon and had every intention of killing her. Where ever she was, this place was dangerous. She couldn't just approach random people, she'd have to scope to make sure it was safe. She wiped her forehead with her sleeve, and once her nerves were steeled again she continued walking the trail away from the lunatics.

After walking for a while more, she came across a lush patch of grass dotted with small white flowers. She decided to rest there and took a seat. She pulled her backpack around and dug through it, finding her water bottle and took a drink. She still had leftovers from lunch and wondered if it was still good, depending on how long she was unconscious for. She sat there for a while, taking in her surroundings. A frown tugged at her mouth. She pulled her knees up and rested her forehead against them. "Don't lose composure now, Yuuki... Don't lose it..."

There was a crack and she jumped, her adrenaline spiking. "Who's there?" She demanded, scrambling to her feet. Her heart pounded as her eyes scanned the thicket of trees, searching for the three people that were chasing her. There was another crack and she stared in front of her. There were heavy steps, and her blood ran cold. Coming from the shade of the trees was a creature- a monster over six feet tall with deep purple scaly skin, staring at her with three yellow eyes. She opened her mouth to scream, but her throat closed up. "What... what the hell..."

"I thought I smelled something tasty." It spoke like a human. It opened its mouth in a grin showing rows of sharp jagged teeth, saliva falling freely. She trembled. Was this real? Was this reality? She bared her teeth and glared in defiance, unable to believe what she was seeing. _No. No this_ can't _be real._ "I was just getting hungry, too. How convenient!"

"Don't come near me!" She barked back threateningly. Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. "What _are_ you!?" She took a step back and the demon laughed.

"You think you can get away from me!?" It charged.

It was faster than she anticipated. Her chest suddenly felt hot as she was seized with panic, holding her hands up to fend it away. In fear she screamed, "Get _away!_ " The heat from her chest transferred to her hands and a blinding light exploded, causing both her and the demon to scream.

* * *

"Stupid Kagome. Stupid old hag!" Inuyasha jumped with inhuman speed from tree to tree, fuming and alone to sulk. "I try to help out and what do I get? Lectures! Feh, let them handle it on their own. Don't come cryin' to me!"

He came to a stop on a tree branch and sniffed the air. "Oh yeah, demon is around here somewhere." Unfortunately for _it_ he was in a bad mood. He sniffed the air again to locate the demon, but then caught the strong whiff of wisteria flowers. He blinked confused, "Flowers?" He sniffed more intensely. "No way, that's a human scent!" Without hesitation Inuyasha broke into a sprint towards the scents.

It wasn't long before he was on the scene of Yuuki and the demon. Inuyasha's eyes widened as the girl wearing Kagome's clothing threw her hands up and summoned a powerful light at the demon. She screamed and the demon itself screamed as it stumbled back swinging its arm. The massive arm knocked Yuuki in the stomach and sent her flying back into a tree. Inuyasha got his claws ready and jumped down at the demon. " _Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!_ " His claws tore through the demon and rendered it into bloody strips. Inuyasha huffed unimpressed and shook his hand to rid it of the blood.

Inuyasha then turned his attention to Yuuki. The girl laid on the ground most likely unconscious. Crossing his arms, he walked up to her and crouched down, sniffing as he inspected her. "She's wearing the same cloths as Kagome..." Now that he thought about it, Kagome's other friends in her time had the same clothes. They were... Middle school students? Inuyasha frowned, "We're nowhere near the Bone Eater's Well. Aside from that, no one else should be able to traverse it besides me and Kagome."

Still, she smelled like a normal human. He didn't think it was a demon in disguise. "Hey," he said, "You awake yet?"

Yuuki's eyes tightened as she stirred. They slowly opened and he saw lavender. She still seemed dazed as she stared at him for a moment, blinking a couple times. "... Dog ears...?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "And just who the hell are you?"

Yuuki blinked, and then processed everything at once. With a gasp she rolled away and sprang to her feet. "Stay back, stranger!" She put her hands up and got into a defensive stance.

Annoyed, Inuyasha only stood upright and faced her calmly with his hands in his sleeves. "Calm down, I'm gonna eat you are anything."

Yuuki glanced around for the other demon, and saw the bloody remains of it on the ground. Her eyes widened with horror. Who else could have done that? She looked back to Inuyasha, there was no other option, it had to be the white haired boy. "I don't believe you."

"What, over that?" He nodded to the shredded corpse. "You have nothing to worry about unless you're on my bad side." Yuuki narrowed her eyes dubiously. "Besides, I should be the one wary of you."

She shook her head, "What?"

"What kind of technique was that?" She stared at him. "You shined a light on that demon. With your hands." She blinked and glanced down at her hands. She remember a light, but not where it came from. Did she do that? Inuyasha saw she was too in thought and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, what's with your clothes?"

Yuuki snapped her attention back to him. This guy- whatever he was, seemed civil and intelligent enough for conversation. She was able to relax a bit. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean they're not normal." He said it with weight and stared her down.

Yuuki stared evenly with him. Where ever she was no one recognized a school uniform. "It's the uniform for my school," she replied carefully, eyeing his red kimono. He was even barefoot. "Have you not seen a school uniform before?"

Inuyasha frowned and his ear twitched. Yuuki saw he was picking his words carefully. "Well, no. Yes." He growled in frustration. "Well my friend wears it, but it's not normal."

Yuuki stared at him confused. How did that make sense? "And who's your friend?"

He frowned again, she could tell he didn't want to give too much away. "Her names Kagome. She's not from around here."

Yuuki's eyes widened at the name. "Kagome?" She dropped her tense stance and it surprised him. "As in Higurashi Kagome?"

"Huh?" It was his turn to be surprised. "You mean you know her?"

"Yes!" Yuuki never thought she'd feel such sweet relief. "Yes, she's my friend!"

Inuyasha looked to the ground. "So you're definitely from the Present then..."

Yuuki's brows knit together. "From the present? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean the Present!" He snapped annoyed. "That's where you're from. The Present! You ask a lot of questions, it's annoying."

Yuuki blinked at him. He might not be a normal human, but he certainly had a bratty attitude. Still, with monsters and murderous humans, he seemed to be the safest thing. "Could you take me to Kagome, please."

He sighed and glared to the side annoyed as he grumbled, "What a hassle." She blushed a little in annoyance at his rudeness. She would want to snap at him if it weren't for his capabilities as tearing her apart. Though fairly civil and intelligent, she still feared him. He then turned his back to her and said, "Yeah, just follow me; I'll take you to her in Kaede's Village, it's not far from here. You can ask her then she can probably explain things."

"That's what I'm counting on," she said to herself with a sigh as she followed him, her blush going away. She followed him in an awkward and tense silence through the forest off the path. She couldn't help but keep staring at the canine ears atop his head. "So... What's your name?"

"My name's Inuyasha," he replied. He glanced over his shoulder at her and asked, "You're Kagome's friend, huh? What's your name?"

"Fujiwara Yuuki," she replied.

"Huh." He turned back around. "Never heard of you." She blushed. "You sure you're her friend?" She blushed even harder and frowned at the ground. This guy was getting on her nerves, but he was deadly, and her best shot at getting home.

Still she mumbled under her breath, "Well she's never mentioned _you_ either..."

Inuyasha suddenly whirled around, startling her. He glared, "You picking a fight!?"

Blushing and caught off guard, she stammered back, "Well, you're the one who started it!" _He heard that!? Were his ears real dog ears?_

"And I'll finish it!" He raised his hand threateningly.

She glared and barked back, "I call your bluff, dog!"

Inuyasha blinked, caught off guard. Yuuki blinked back at him confused at his behavior. This guy was unpredictable with a short fuse. Does this guy really know Kagome? "How did you know I was a dog?"

She blinked again. "Uh... well..." She meant it as an insult. "Your ears...?"

Inuyasha saw as she examined his features. Calming down, he turned back around and explained, "I'm part dog demon. My other part is human."

"A half-demon?" She said dumbly.

"Yeah." Awkward and tense again, Yuuki fell in silence behind him as he led her through the forest.

Once they had finally emerged from the trees, Yuuki suddenly halted as Inuyasha continued walking down the grassy hill. She stood and stared in awe at the sight of the village below. It was humble, but it was old. Very old. A village that no longer exists. It made her heart pound. Just where the hell was she? She suddenly felt very far away from home, and it frightened her.

"Hurry up, would ya!" Inuyasha yelled, snapping her out of it.

She frowned. She didn't like being ordered around like that by a stranger, but whatever. She hurried down after him and joined him at the dirt roads of the village. As they rounded a house to join the main road, she jumped as a horse was suddenly approaching them. "A-a horse!" She quickly backed up while Inuyasha calmly stepped aside for the horse and carriage of vegetables to pass. The old farmer in rustic clothing nodded in thanks to them.

Inuyasha looked down to see Yuuki staring at them dumbly. He became annoyed, "You can't be scared of a horse."

Yuuki blinked, then eyed him with a similar look as a blush crept to her face. "Of course I'm not scared of a horse. I've just never seen one in person before."

"How could you have not seen one in person before?" He asked in absurdity.

The long mass of curled hair Yuuki had began to puff up as she bristled. "I'm not from around here," she grumbled through her teeth. _You should know that!_ She tried to keep her composure, but he was wearing on her nerves.

And to make her even more annoyed, he seemed to not be paying attention to her anymore. _What a jackass_ , she thought. Inuyasha was staring at the distance intently as his ears twitched. He then frowned, "What- she mad already? Damn it, so annoying..."

Yuuki frowned at him confused. What was he talking about? "Inuyasha! Hey, Inuyasha!" Yuuki's eyes widened. _Kagome._ That was Kagome's voice!

"Yeah, over here," Inuyasha called back as he walked ahead.

Yuuki didn't know why, but she could only stare as Inuyasha went ahead towards Kagome's voice. Her body felt heavy, and she watched in a daze as her friend came from a side road to meet him. "Where have you been?" Kagome frowned up at him. "There was a demon outside the village and we could've used your help to defeat it." She was holding a quiver of arrows and a bow on her shoulder. "You're never around when we need you."

"Need me?" He snapped back. "You said I was just in your way!"

Kagome sighed exasperated. "That's not what I was saying!"

"Well whatever," he looked away stubbornly in a pout. "I already took care of the demons in the outskirts, so a _thanks_ would be nice."

"Kagome..."

"Eh?" Kagome and Inuyasha both turned to stare at Yuuki. Inuyasha completely forgot about her for a second. Kagome stared at her, recognizing her, and then went wide eyed. "Y-Yuuki!? What are you doing here!?"

Yuuki blinked, coming out of a daze. "I... I don't know."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha and asked, "Did you find her?" He nodded. "Where!?"

"Outside of the village," he replied and tucked his arms away. He smiled proudly, sticking out his chest and said, "In fact I saved her from one of the demons."

Kagome ignored him and ran to her. "Yuuki!" Kagome just about tackled her in a tight hug, catching her by surprise. "Yuuki, you shouldn't be here!" Though that was true and it didn't make sense that she was there, Kagome was still overwhelmingly happy to see her lifelong friend.

Inuyasha watched in surprise at the emotions washing over Yuuki's face. She was dazed, her eyes watered up. He could physically see the relief in the girl as she hugged Kagome back and rested her head on her shoulder. Still, he glared as his ears twitched. He didn't like the closeness.

"I'm so happy to see you," Yuuki muffled in Kagome's shoulder. Once she had herself composed, she pulled back to look her in the face. "Kagome... just what the hell is going on?"

Kagome frowned sympathetically, wishing there was a simple answer. "Yuuki, first tell me how you got here. Was it through my well?"

"Your well?" Yuuki shook her head. "No, I was at my house. Actually I was in the storage house of my family's shrine to get some amulets. I fell through the floor boards and found myself in the woods." Taking a step back, she looked around and took in her surroundings. "This place... Where _are_ we?"

Kagome smiled proudly at her friend. Though she's obviously surprised, she thought, she's still taking it all in with a calmness and level head. She's so cool like that. Kagome then frowned slightly, "Listen, Yuuki... This is going to sound strange, but you're in Japan's Feudal Era."

Yuuki stared at her. "Feudal Era..." Kagome nodded and watched her face closely. Yuuki blinked as she thought back to her textbooks. "When guns first came to Japan, and Oda Nobunaga... but what about those monsters in the woods?" She asked confused, and pointed at Inuyasha. "What about him?"

"What _about_ me?" He snapped back annoyed.

Dropping her arm she replied, "Demons don't exist."

"They do here," Kagome said.

Yuuki frowned, eyeing Inuyasha up and down. It was difficult to digest, but between him, the monster in the woods, and those villagers accusing her of being a demon, it was impossible to argue. From her senses she could tell this was all real. Yuuki went lost in thought, and Inuyasha's annoyance only increased. "What's with the look!?"

His yelling brought her back, but she ignored him and turned to Kagome. "Well, I guess I can't argue..."

Kagome smiled with a nod. "I know, it isn't easy. Did Inuyasha give you a hard time coming here?"

"Whaddya mean!?" He shouted, drawing attention from wandering villagers. "Give her a hard time? I _saved_ her from a demon that attacked her!"

"Oh," concerned, Kagome quickly looked her over. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Yeah, _she_ was fine," Inuyasha added and both girls gave him a tired glance. He grumbled to himself, "Unlike someone _else_ I know who cries all the time."

Kagome frowned at him offended. "What do you mean by that? You're the one who's always mad."

"Me? Always mad? Yeah, right," he huffed and turned away from them.

Yuuki watched in silent curiosity while Kagome put her hands on her hips. "See? You're mad right now!" She sighed and crossed her arms. "You're so short tempered…"

"You're the one that's so touchy," Inuyasha retorted, pointing at her. "You're always losing your temper."

Yuuki's brows knit together as she observed their exchange. Inuyasha's behavior... for some reason it was familiar. "Kagome?"

Their nose-to-nose glare-down was broken and they turned to her. "Yeah?"

Yuuki pointed to Inuyasha feeling unsure. "Is he... Is he your so-called boyfriend we talk about?"

Inuyasha's eye twitched feeling insulted. " _So-called?_ "

"Ah, yes," Kagome smiled and nodded. Though she frantically corrected, "Well- he's not my _actual_ boyfriend, we're- we're friends! It's just difficult to explain the situation, ya'know?"

"Yes, clearly," Yuuki replied, looking Inuyasha up and down again. She saw just how well the two of them were getting along in the flesh.

"What's that?" Inuyasha growled threateningly, thoroughly insulted by her. _Geez, what is his problem?_

Yuuki stared at him blankly, but Kagome was quick to reprimand him. "Inuyasha, be nice to her! She's my friend."

"Never mind, don't you need to go back to the well?" He questioned Yuuki annoyed.

Yuuki's brows knit together again and she felt herself becoming annoyed by his vague questions. "The well?" she questioned.

"Oh, that's right!" Kagome dropped her fist in her palm in realization. "Yuuki, remember the well in my families shrine? Well, behind this village in the eastern outskirts is the same well which they call the Bone-Eater's Well. It's actually how I travel to and from this time to the Present."

Yuuki stared at her for a moment, processing the information. Though it hardly made sense, she was still relieved to hear of a way home. She smiled, surprising Inuyasha, but it was tired. "That's wonderful to hear. I should get back as soon as I can, I've been missing for nearly two hours- if not longer."

"All right, then just follow me," Kagome said as she took her hand.

Inuyasha followed behind them, staring at their holding hands annoyed as he began feeling jealous. Yuuki smirked lightly at Kagome and asked, "So, _this_ is the truth behind the plethora of diseases you've contracted."

Kagome smiled guiltily, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. "Yeah, it's been a little rough leaving it to my grandpa to make the excuses for why I wasn't going to school for weeks on end."

Yuuki frowned in silence for a moment, observing the villagers, then scanning the tree line. Everything seemed peaceful here in the old civilization, however the danger here was out of old folklore. "Kagome…" She looked to her friend concerned. "This place is... interesting, I suppose. But you're _really_ falling behind on studies. This place is certainly exciting-for lack of a better word- if not stressful, but why are you _here_ all the time? How did you even end up here?"

Kagome sighed and then turned to the sky as she recalled the memory. "Well… I was looking for my cat in the shrine when a centipede attacked me though the well. It pulled me through and ripped a jewel called the Shikon no Tama out from my side. Somehow it had formed inside me, and here I met Inuyasha. He helped me fight the demon and I got the jewel, but…" Yuuki watched as her expression turned guilty. "I broke it. Hundreds of shards are scattered around here and when a demon possess them they become stronger. It became my responsibility, and it was too dangerous to leave alone. So I teamed up with Inuyasha to get all the fragments back before this place is destroyed by demons."

Yuuki looked to the ground. "I see..." Shikon no Tama, Yuuki remembered those were the trinkets Kagome's grandfather sold at her shrine. A jewel that was supposed to grant wishes. "So it's all real," she murmured to herself.

Kagome watched her friends sideways, seeing all the information sink in. She hoped she wouldn't be overwhelmed. To lighten the mood, Kagome smiled and said, "I'm surprised you're not chewing me out for skipping school! You always hated going without me."

Inuyasha put his hands behind his head bored. "What's so great about school?" He asked skeptically behind them.

Yuuki glanced back as Kagome looked back at him and explained for her, "It's important to study in our time. Everyone is required to attend school." She smiled at her friend and added, "Yuuki here is especially serious about her studies. She's a busy bee; you can always find her either at school or attending her shrine."

Inuyasha looked over at her surprised. "Wait, so you're a priestess, too?"

She looked forward and replied, "Oh, not at all. I'm just a Shrine Maiden and help my father who's the Priest. I'm usually just cleaning up the place." They came to a stop when they reached a clearing with a massive tree and a decrepit well. "Poor thing is dying," she said as she stared at it.

"This is the Bone-Eater's Well," Kagome confirmed as they approached it.

Yuuki leaned over the side of the rotting frame, staring at the dank darkness and smelling mold. Moss and small vines clung to the sides of the well. "Yes, I can certainly see demons crawling out of this thing."

"Well, they do use it to toss dead demons in," Inuyasha said nonchalantly, tucking his arms away.

Yuuki went slightly blue in the face. Was there rotting flesh mixed in the soil below? Did she have to pass through that? Kagome frowned over at him, "Inuyasha, don't say that!"

"What?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow clueless. "The demons are dead anyways."

"You know what I mean, Inuyasha," she said and then turned from him, crossing her arms. "You're so insensitive…" She then smiled apologetically at Yuuki and said, "Sorry, Yuuki."

"It's no problem, really," she replied, stepping away from the well. She then mumbled, "though I highly doubt he gets the point."

"What was that?" Inuyasha asked dangerously and Yuuki only rolled her eyes.

"So, do I just go in?" She asked, ignoring him to his aggravation.

"Yeah," Kagome replied with a nod. "Just jump in and you'll find yourself in the well at my house in our time."

"Sounds easy enough," Yuuki said to herself as she stood up on the edge of the well. She tested it first, and it surprising held. She stared down at the bottom. Was it really that deep or was she just imagining it? She shook her head. She needed to focus. "All right. One… Two…" She closed her eyes and braced herself.

 _Leave at once._

Someone else's words echoed through her and she suddenly froze. _Who's voice...?_

"Three, right?" Yuuki blinked and felt someone push her.

She yelped and fell to the bottom. Inuyasha looked over the edge and watched as she hit the bottom rather hard. Kagome gasped as she heard her friend shout angrily, "OW!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome chastised, glaring at the innocent looking Inuyasha. "What did you do that for!?" He backed up as she hurried over and stared down at Yuuki in worry. "Are you okay?"

Yuuki groaned in annoyance as she rubbed her legs, pain shooting through her ankles. "Besides the fact I'm not in my time and my ass hurts, yeah, I'm fine."

Kagome glared over at Inuyasha again and repeated, "What did you do that for, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha blushed lightly from embarrassment, knowing he made a mistake. "I couldn't help it!"

"What if she got hurt?" She insisted.

"Shut up!" He glared back at her. "I was just helpin' out."

"What!? How's that?" She asked skeptically.

While the two were bickering, Yuuki was left to climbing out herself. She scaled the side of the well quickly, not wanting to sit in dirt and rotting demon flesh. With a grunt of effort, she got her arm hooked around the edge and hefted herself up. Kagome and Inuyasha were nose-to-nose glaring until Yuuki cleared her throat loudly. They looked over at her flat glare. "Oh, don't mind me, please continue while I crawl out of rotting demon flesh and bones."

"Sorry," Kagome said guiltily as she helped her out. As Yuuki dusted herself off Kagome furrowed her brows, bringing a hand to her chin. "I don't know why, but for some reason you can't get through…"

"Well you can't be that surprised," Inuyasha said and they looked at him. "You and I are the only ones able to pass through the well. It wouldn't make sense for her to be able to."

Yuuki crossed her arms, "Well it doesn't make sense for me to be here at all."

He frowned at her. "Could you quit the sass?"

She blinked at him, feeling innocent. "Well could you?" He glared, but she was just being honest.

Kagome ignored his sour mood and decided, "I'm going to take you to Lady Kaede. She was able to help me when I first arrived her, she might have an idea for us."

"Kaede," Yuuki repeated as they began walking back, Inuyasha following them again. "Is she the head of the village?"

Kagome shook her head. "The village is so small there's not really a head, but she's the oldest and wisest. She's the village Priestess as well, so everyone generally turns to her when there's trouble."

Yuuki nodded, "Sounds like a reliable person," she said respectfully. With how highly Kagome spoke of her, it gave Yuuki some relief that they'd find a solution to her problem.

"Yeah, but she's always nagging me," Inuyasha complained.

Kagome smiled at him in amusement. "Only because you're always getting into trouble," she teased.

Inuyasha grumbled something, but fell silent. That's when Yuuki asked, "You said Kaede was able to help you when you first arrived. Does that mean you had troubles returning to our time?"

"Hm?" Kagome glanced back at her and then stared at the sky thoughtfully. "Mmm… Thinking back… No, I didn't have troubles falling through and back to the present," she replied and then gave her a rueful smile. "Don't worry, Yuuki, I'm sure we'll figure out a way to get you back; one way or another."

Yuuki sighed, "I hope so. Between homework and the Doll Festival going on-"

Kagome's gasp caught her off guard. "The Doll Festival!" They were forced to stop and Kagome turned to friend sadly. "Yuuki, I'm so sorry! I was supposed to be there for that!"

Yuuki sweat-dropped, thinking back to her mother's message. _Guess she completely forgot._ She waved it off with a smile, "Really, Kagome, it's fine-"

"Doll festival?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome explained for her, "Its a festival her family holds at her shrine. People get wooden dolls and engrave names of their passed away loved ones and burn them in a pit. Her father the Priest waves the smoke and blesses it as it goes to the sky."

"It's meant to pass on the wishes of seeing each other again to the heavens," Yuuki explained.

Inuyasha blinked at her. "Why does your shrine do that?"

She raised a shoulder. "No clue."

He frowned at her, "You're a pretty lousy shrine maiden if you don't even know why you do what your shrine does."

Kagome became a little nervous as Yuuki frowned back at him. "And you're a pretty lousy dog for being half of one."

Her comment stunned Inuyasha for a moment, catching him off guard. Kagome acted faster than he could retort and grabbed her hand, pulling her along. "Off to Kaede's hut! It's not far away! Come on, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha marched after them mumbling and grumbling under his breath a string of things he could say back to her, but never did. Kagome led them through the village to the west side of the square, approaching a hut that looked the same as the rest. "This is Lady Kaede's house," Kagome explained as she pulled back the heady straw door flap.

She turned to call into the hut, but froze, looking surprised as a second Kagome walked out. Yuuki took a step back, visibly caught off guard, and looked to Inuyasha and Kagome in confirmation to believe she was seeing. _Wait- was this a dream after all!?_ Inuyasha was unsurprised while Kagome merely smiled. "It's all right, Yuuki, you aren't crazy," she said. She gestured to the second Kagome, "This is Shippo!"

"Shippo, behave yourself," Inuyasha scolded.

Second Kagome frowned before becoming engulfed in a sudden cloud of smoke. As it cleared away, Yuuki's eyes trailed down until she spotted the small child with pointed ears and a brown fluffy tail. "Oh, a child," she blinked. _A demon...? Is he a half one as well?_

"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore!" Shippo quickly corrected, staring up at her upset. "I'm a respectable adult!"

She couldn't help but smile and knelt down to his level. She inspected him over and asked, "How were you able to look like Kagome?"

"I was using the art of transformation!" He replied proudly, sticking out his chest. "Fox demons like me are especially good at using the art of transformation to trick people! Hey," he approached her and examined her up and down in return. "Uhh, who are you anyway? You're wearing the same clothes as Kagome. Are you from the Present?"

"Yes, I am," she nodded. "My name is Fujiwara Yuuki, I'm a friend of Kagome's. I need to find a way to get back home," she explained. She concluded that this fox demon was still a child.

She smiled in amusement as he visibly wracked his brain for an idea, and then perked up. "Ah-ha! I know!" Raising up a finger he said, "You can go through the well!"

"We already tried that!" Inuyasha snapped in annoyance.

"You don't gotta yell!" Shippo yelled back.

Yuuki quickly stood up and frowned at Inuyasha with a cold stare. "Inuyasha, I suggest you take your own advice and behave yourself. Shippo was just trying to be helpful."

Inuyasha shrunk back a little blinking at her. "Yeah, well..."

While Yuuki went back to inspecting Shippo, which was a little weird to him, Kagome hurried to Inuyasha's side and whispered to him, "Don't take it personally." Inuyasha's ear twitched as he glanced at her. "Yuuki's actually a fan of children."

"I'm not a child!" Shippo shouted up at them suddenly, catching Yuuki off guard.

"Oh, don't be such a smart-aleck," Inuyasha replied turning away from him.

Shippo glared up at him, shaking his fist. "What did you say, Inuyasha?" He questioned dangerously.

He then suddenly yelped in a jump and they quickly looked to him. Yuuki recoiled her hand from his fluffy tail she had tugged on, "Oh, sorry!" Shippo guarded his tail from her and eyed her with watery eyes, not trusting her.

Taking the opportunity Kagome gestured to the hut, "Well, shall we go inside now?"

Shippo hurried in first, holding his tail, followed by Kagome and Inuyasha. Yuuki went inside last, peeking her head in first and inspecting the area. It wasn't very large, there were pots of water and herbs, a cooking pot burning in the center, futons rolled up on the sides. It was very rustic. Yuuki cautiously let the flap close behind her as she stepped in, staying close to Inuyasha's back as an old woman spoke, "So, Inuyasha, ye have returned."

"Yeah, and I brought someone back with me." He stepped out of the way for her and Yuuki stared at the old, hunched over woman wearing a priestess' garments with an eye patch.

The woman stared back at her in surprise and asked, "Oh, who might ye be?"

"G-good afternoon," Yuuki quickly bowed respectfully to the woman. The other's went and made themselves comfortable around the cooking pot. "My name is Fujiwara Yuuki."

"What's with her?" Inuyasha whispered to Kagome as they sat down. "She's all sweet with Shippo and nice to Kaede, why's she so mean towards me?"

"Probably because you frustrated her?" She whispered back.

"From the look of your clothes, I guess ye came from the same place as Kagome," Kaede said as Yuuki stood upright again, folding her hands in front of her. Yuuki nodded in confirmation and Kaede smiled at her. "Well, ye can relax here. Tell me, what brings ye to our time?"

Yuuki was grateful for how calm and accepting the old woman was with the situation. "Well, I was in the storehouse of my family's shrine when I fell through the floor boards," she explained. "I must have blacked out at some point, but when I awoke I was in the forest here. I'm trying to find a way home, but the Bone-Eaters Well won't allow me to pass through, and Kagome spoke so highly of you and how you've assisted her in the past, I was hoping you'd have a way or an idea for me to get back to my time."

Kaede hummed as she frowned thoughtfully, closing her eye. Yuuki held her breath in hopefulness as the others watched the old woman turn the gears in her head. "I'm afraid I don't know why," she replied, looking at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Yuuki, but I don't know how I can help ye. Whatever magic brought ye to our time is unknown to me."

Yuuki blinked at her mystified. "Oh... I see..."

Shippo stared at her sadly and said, "Wow, I feel for you." Kagome chewed the inside of her cheek, already anticipating this.

Yuuki looked to the ground feeling light headed, and Kaede looked to her sympathetically. "I am sorry, dear. How about ye sit down for a moment, have some tea."

"No, no it's fine," Yuuki said quietly, though her ears were ringing. Whatever magic brought her here was unknown? Then how the hell was she brought here? Her eyes fluttered as she felt dizzy. _Am I going to faint?_ Her heart began to race in her chest, her breath coming short. _Am I having a panic attack?_

Inuyasha eyed Yuuki for a moment. "How irritating." Kagome watched him worried as he stood up. "Why are you so upset?" He demanded loudly, catching Yuuki's attention.

She looked at him and blinked, feeling her eyes had gotten watery. "Why...?" Her body felt oddly numb, and his attitude wasn't improving her own.

He just crossed his arms and frowned at her. "It's not like you're gonna die if you can't get home."

His rudeness snapped something inside her and her face suddenly flushed red. "And how would you feel if you were in my situation!" She yelled at him, her eyes tearing up. "I'm thrown into an _entirely_ new world and I don't even know where to _start_ to grasp all of this! My family is beyond my reach and I am currently stuck with _no_ way of returning to them!"

"And what, you're just gonna give up?" He yelled back at her. "You're more of a crybaby that Kagome was when she first came here." Yuuki bit her tongue as she stared angrily at him. "Look," he approached her calmly and she didn't budge, only glared up at him in defiance. He spoke much calmer, "The well didn't work and the old woman didn't have a backup plan, oh well. Big deal. That just means we find _another_ way, all right?"

Yuuki was quiet for a moment, refusing her eyes to waver from his. Despite him being loud and rude, his words were somehow assuring. As she calmed down, she looked to the ground instead and wiped her eyes. "All right."

"There, that's better." He stepped back from her and said, "We're not gonna get anywhere by sitting around here."

Yuuki then sighed, the red of her face receding. "But there aren't any clues," she argued. "There's no where to start."

"I suggest ye going back to the place ye woke up," Kaede suggested. "Perhaps there's a clue ye missed, a passage akin to the Bone Eater's Well that allowed ye to come here."

Yuuki looked to the ground guiltily. "I don't exactly remember where that was. I was walking for hours before Inuyasha found me."

"If someone had been with you at the time, we could ask them," Shippo piped up. "Were you alone at the time?"

She looked at him and replied, "Well… I _did_ run into some villagers, but I ran away from them because they thought I was a demon-"

"Scardy-cat," Inuyasha teased.

"-and they had weapons," she finished hotly, glaring at him with a blush. "Would you quit provoking me?"

He only stared at her and commented, "You blush a lot."

Yuuki immediately bristled, blush intensifying. "Don't point that out," she growled, her long mass of hair flaring a bit. "Anyways," she continued as a tick mark throbbed on her forehead. "They were searching for something, and they were obviously desperate."

Inuyasha said, "All right, no more sitting around and flapping our mouths. Let's go find those villagers." They all watched as he suddenly left the hut.

Yuuki sighed as Kagome and Shippo stood, "Well his enthusiasm leaves me a bit hopeful I suppose."

"Don't worry, Yuuki," Kagome placed a hand on her shoulder. "One way or another we'll help you get back home, okay?"

"In the meantime," Kaede added, "ye are welcomed to stay here as long as need be."

Yuuki smiled at her in relief, and bowed again. "Thank you, Lady Kaede."

Inuyasha was waiting impatiently when the girls and Shippo came out. The four of them wandered around the village searching for the three Yuuki encountered earlier, but to no avail. After they searched the entire village they met up in the town square again empty handed. "We've looked through the whole village now," Shippo said disheartened.

Yuuki sighed for the umpteenth time, pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead. "Yes, I know, but I haven't found anyone that looks like the three I ran into earlier." The lack of turn out made her frustrated.

"All I can think of is, maybe, the next village, Akebi Village," Kagome said. "It's not _that_ far, but…" She turned nervous and Yuuki only raised an eyebrow, putting her hand on her hip.

"But it's crawling with demons!" Shippo finished as he jumped up onto Yuuki's shoulder and she looked at him. He got in her face, making her blink, and explained in a dire voice, "demons come after you even if you're only a little ways from the village!" Inuyasha swung his fist and punched him in the head, forming a very large lump.

Shippo's eyes filled with tears and Yuuki shouted at Inuyasha angrily, "Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha, sit, boy!" Kagome commanded. Yuuki blinked as the beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed before dragging him into the ground, slamming him so hard that his body left an indent.

"Oh… Wow," Yuuki looked at her surprised. "What was that?"

"That was the power of Lade Kaede," she replied smiling back. "She placed the subjugation beads around him and I set the command word. So whenever he misbehaves I can just correct him."

"He's just all brawn and no brains," Shippo insulted. He then stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha as he struggled to lift his head from the ground.

"I'll… Get you…! Shippo…!"

Yuuki looked Inuyasha over, feeling much better all around after seeing him in that state. "Hm... Sit."

Nothing happened, only Inuyasha looked up at her in disbelief. "You damn brat!"

"Unfortunately it only works when I say it," Kagome explained.

Yuuki frowned a little while Shippo laughed. "Oh well. Come on, let's head out to Akebi Village."

Right as she turned to walk away, Kagome asked, "Are you sure you want to head out now, Yuuki? It'll long be dark by the time we make it back here."

She only shrugged, "I'm a bit more confident now, and I'm desperate to get home. It shouldn't be too big of a problem, right?"

"Not at all," Kagome smiled and they walked over together, "Come on, Inuyasha," she said sweetly.

Inuyasha reached out for them and called, "Wait for me…!"


	2. Itsy Bitsy

**A/N**

 **I apologize once again to those that were reading this story before or had already read what I posted and were waiting for more. I understand your frustrations. My reasoning is that the original plot was weak and the quality was poor as well. Re-reading my work I realized how lame it was. With this revamp not only is the writing improved, but I've added more and new content that I hope you'll appreciate. Also more Sesshomaru.  
**

 **Sorry again, and thank you. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Inuyasha led the group as they traveled through the forest. He kept an eye out for demons in case they would jump them and Kagome had a firm grip on her bow over her shoulder. Yuuki eyed her quiver of arrows and then Inuyasha's sword at his hip. Being in this Era, Yuuki wasn't surprised that Kagome had a weapon to fight with. However she felt a little guilty knowing it would be left to them to defend her. She thought back to the purple demon that caught her alone and remembered how terrified she was. Even if she had something to defend herself with, she doubted she'd be able to act.

Approaching Akebi Village, they were passing by a man resting at a small shrine for travelers to pray. As they walked past the man perked up, looking at them surprised. "Hey, travelers!" he called jumping to his feet. The group paused and looked back at him.

"Yeah, what is it?" Shippo asked from Yuuki's shoulder.

"I see that you all are heading towards Akebi. I've passed by there myself, and I have to warn you about the old temple above the village." He frowned, his forehead wrinkling up as he said, "It seems there's a bunch of demons in there…"

Yuuki furrowed her brows up concerned. _That's a little disconcerting._ Inuyasha gave a curt laugh and she raised an eyebrow back at him. "There's nothing to be scared of," he said shrugging it off.

"I sure hope so," Shippo murmured worried.

Inuyasha walked on and Yuuki said to the old man, "Thank you for your warning," and followed after.

"Well, maybe we could check it out," Kagome suggested as they continued into the village.

"Kagome, we're here to find the villagers and that's it," Inuyasha reminded her firmly, giving her a look.

Yuuki decided to hang back a few steps as Kagome tried to convince him, though he obviously wasn't having it. Folding her hands behind her, she looked to Shippo instead. "Do they usually bicker this often?"

"Oh yeah," he replied with a nod. "Every day, but they also get along so it balances out."

Yuuki let a small sigh slip through her nose as she watched them continue to quarrel, gaining the attention of villagers as they passed through. Apparently they forgot they were here to inspect people, but Yuuki didn't mind. For their escort at the very least she could this on her own. As she and Shippo passed by an old villager man he asked, "Can you folks not leave the town either?"

Yuuki paused and looked over at him. "What do you mean?" Kagome and Inuyasha paused as well and looked back at them.

"Your clothes are different," he gestured to her school uniform. "So I figured you weren't from here."

"Well, you're right," she admitted as Inuyasha and Kagome walked back to them, "But why can't people leave the village?"

"Because of the spider!" The old man replied as if it were obvious. "Lately, there's been a big demon spider wandering around the place. No one can leave the village because everyone is scared of getting captured in the forest."

Kagome grimaced, "I'm not a big fan of spider demons..."

Yuuki furrowed her brows up and murmured, "It's a creative abomination to be sure."

"And it's not just any spider!" The villager quickly threw in, gaining their attention again. He stretched his arms out to emphasize, "It's an enormous spider with a white sticky web that captures people. On top of that, he has black hair on his legs!" He brushed his own thinning black hair with his hand as an example.

Yuuki narrowed her eyes feeling slightly sick while Kagome mustered a weak smile. "Please stop?" She asked kindly. "I don't think I can hear anymore…"

"I think he's exaggerating," Shippo said in Yuuki's ear, making her glance at him.

"He has more than ten eyes!" The man added, cupping his hands around his eyes.

Shippo stared at the man with a flat glare. "Yeah, he's definitely exaggerating."

Inuyasha decided to step forward in front of the man and bore down on him. "Hey, talk straight, old man," he ordered.

The old man put up his hands and chuckled with a nervous smile, shying away from his intimidation. "Sorry, I get a kick out of the girls screaming when I tell the story."

Kagome gave a polite laugh while Yuuki tch'd and turned away, her cheeks pink. "We weren't even close to screaming," she mumbled.

Shippo smiled at her and poked her cheek. "Yuuki, you're blushing again!" He teased and she sighed, her blush turning darker despite her reluctance.

"I got carried away," the man admitted and bowed his head in apology. "But I wasn't lying. Until someone takes care of the demon, everybody's too scared to leave the village. People have already disappeared trying!"

"Hey, Yobei!" The old man turned around and the others looked over to see a younger man run up. He put his fists on his hips and glared down at the old man. "Are you harassing the girls again?" He asked accusingly.

Yuuki crossed her arms and closed her eyes, deciding to throw the man under the bus. "Yes."

"Yobei!" The man scolded, raising his fist.

Yobei shied away again with a nervous laugh. "Sorry, Zenkichi, it was a harmless joke."

"No harm was done," Kagome assured and Yuuki frowned a little at her. She then stepped forward and asked, "Zenkichi, could you tell us a little more about the demon?"

"Kagome," Inuyasha said annoyed.

Yuuki looked over at him and cut in, "Inuyasha, the villagers I ran into were looking for a demon. It might be related."

"But that's not what we're here for," he explained slowly so she could understand.

A tick mark sprang up from his attitude, but she only turned away from him. _Jackass_. "The giant spider demon lives in the old temple in the forest," Zenkichi explained. "Ever since I was a child I had heard it lived there. He used to be satisfied hunting wild animals, but recently he came to the village and has been attacking the villagers. So because of that nobody's been able to get out of the forest. It's been terrible," he said sadly as he gazed at the ground in frustration. "We can't even send for help."

"Recently you say?" Kagome questioned intrigued. "Does that mean he didn't bother the people before?"

"Why would you ask that?" He asked, looking up at her suspiciously. "Do you plan on going to the old temple?"

"What if we do?" Shippo asked purely for curiosity.

"Because it would be stupid of you!" He shouted, causing Kagome to back away in surprise.

That made Inuyasha's ear twitch. "All right then," he said decidedly, "I think I've heard enough."

He then began walking away to their surprise. "Inuyasha?" Kagome asked and then quickly followed him.

"I half expected him to start a fight," Yuuki murmured as she followed and Shippo nodded in agreement. Inuyasha kept up at a fast pace, forcing Kagome to jog lightly to keep up. Yuuki decided to give up, realizing he wasn't even bothering with the task he was so adamant on before.

"What's wrong, Yuuki?" Shippo asked her, noticing she was slowing down.

"Inuyasha's just aggravated by Zenkichi," she said as she branched off from the main path, wandering away down a smaller road. "He might just be on his way to fight the spider demon. I still need to find the villagers and see if they have any clues to me going back home."

"Inuyasha can be single minded," Shippo said as they approached a large pond. "Once he's calmed down he'll wander back."

"Oh, I'm sure."

Looking ahead she spotted an old man standing at the pond watching the ducks. He might be one of the old men from before, but she had to get closer. As she approached behind him he spoke up, "What a rare use of spiritual power."

Yuuki stopped short and stared at the man wide eyed, feeling startled. She was sure her footsteps were quiet. "What?" Shippo asked confused.

Yuuki furrowed her brows as the man turned around to face them. He had thick grey hair that hid his eyes with a moustache and large purple beads hanging around his neck. "When you were in danger, do you remember what you cried out?" He asked.

Shippo whispered, "Do you know what he's talking about, Yuuki?"

She shook her head, giving the old man a questioning look. "I have no idea what-" Memory of the purple demon flashed through her mind, remembering a burning sensation and a light- "Ah," she winced and held a hand to her head feeling a sharp pain.

"What is it?" Shippo asked alarmed.

"I-I'm fine," she assured and then stared at the old man curiously. "I… I don't remember what I said, but there was a light…" She lowered her hand and stared at him hard. "So are you saying you were there? Do you know what happened?"

The old man chuckled amused. "I was, and you caused that light. It's what we call Seishin Power, which is a special power that can only be wielded by a select few. However it is a spiritual power that exists in all creatures in the universe."

"That sounds pretty amazing," Shippo said in slight awe.

Yuuki stared at the old man with a curious look, wrapping her mind around what he was saying. "Seishin powers...? That sounds like something priestess' and monks use. I'm not either of those."

"Maybe not in profession," he amended with a nod, "but you've only just awakened your powers. You don't even know how to use them to their fullest potential yet."

She crossed her arms and stared at him skeptically. "Forgive me, but who are you?"

"You may call me Grandpa Kakuju," he replied with a bow.

"You know, you do seem pretty helpless," Shippo said bluntly and she blinked at him in surprise. "You don't have anything to defend yourself with."

She went red in the face and became defensive. "I-I can't help it! There's nothing like this in my world! Not to mention-"

Kakuju lifted his head a little. "Your world?" He questioned and she froze, realizing her slip up.

"Yeah, she was brought here from a different world unexpectedly," Shippo went on to explain and she sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead. Was it safe to just babble that around? _Great, now_ we're _the lunatics._ "You mean you couldn't tell by her strange clothing?"

"I'm sorry, my eyes don't work as well anymore," Kakuju replied. "I can't even tell what you are wearing or what you look like."

Yuuki frowned at Shippo and whispered, "Shippo, apologize to him."

"I didn't realize that," he said earnestly and then stared at him sadly. "I'm sorry for what I said," he apologized.

Kakuju only chuckled. "Don't worry about it," he replied. He then brought a hand to his chin. "You're from a different world, though. That is unusual…"

"Would you know how to take me back?" She asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," he replied and she and Shippo sighed dejectedly.

"I thought as much," she said.

"But," they perked back up at him. "Even though I don't know what brought you into this world, I can teach you how to use the Seishin power that lies within you. Only few can wield it, and as long as you're in this world you should know how."

Yuuki didn't say anything, but she was still doubtful she had done anything special before. Seishin was unknown to her before this old man. That's when Shippo spoke up, "That sounds great! Yuuki, you should try to learn so you can use it to fight demons."

Yuuki glanced at him. "Well... I suppose," she nodded to the old man. "It wouldn't hurt to try." _Though I'm not sure how far I'll get with it._

"All right then," he stepped forward on his cane and held his free hand out to her. "Stand in front of me and close your eyes. Take my hand and remain very still."

Yuuki stepped forward to meet him and Shippo jumped off her shoulder. He backed away a little and watched as she did what Kakuju requested. Shippo then stared in awe as a light shined on the ground beneath them. It spiraled upward and around them, spinning up and lifting their hair slightly. Their clothes flowed as if in water and her grip on his hand twitched, her eyes shutting a little tighter as the light became more intense. Shippo was forced to cover his eyes as the power shot up in the sky before quickly dying out. After everything had calmed down Yuuki's eyes snapped open. She gasped, stumbling back too violently and falling to the ground on her butt.

She clutched her chest breathing hard, her eyes wide as adrenaline coursed through her, her heart hammering in her ears. The warmth she felt before- the burning sensation that was in her hands was all through her. Her body was vibrating. "Yuuki!" Shippo exclaimed and raced over to her. He stood beside her and stared up at her face worried, seeing her pale and sweating, her eyes wide as she stared off into space, panting hard. "Yuuki, what happened? Did you get new powers?"

The new sensation wasn't going away. She swallowed, forcing her breathing to calm. "I…" She slowly composed herself, sweat rolling down her cheek. "I… I remember what I shouted earlier," she said as she came back into focus. She furrowed her brows together as she stared up at Kakuju. "What did you do to me?"

"We merely awakened the Seishin," he replied as he stared above her. "Now you will learn to use the Seishin." He stepped aside for her to see the pond behind him. He then gestured at a decent sized rock with his cane beside them. "Do you see that rock over there?"

"Yes, I do," she replied as she stood up, dusting her skirt off.

"But how can you?" Shippo asked for her, staring at the rock in surprise. He then gazed sideways at the old man in suspicion. "I thought you couldn't see anything."

"Seishin is a versatile power," Kakuju replied and they approached him. "You can use it in a way that benefits you, becomes custom to you. I use this power to make up for my shortcomings. Now," he gestured to the boulder again with his cane. "Remember the phrase you shouted before. Harness the Seishin power and destroy that rock."

Her body was still humming. She felt almost jittery. Staring at the rock, she wondered if it was as easy as just wishing the task to be done. Did she only have to think about destroying it? Her stare became intense, causing Shippo to glance between her and the rock before backing away. Yuuki closed her eyes and focused the powers she felt coursing through her now. She knelt to the rock and placed her hand to it, her body outlining in a white light. "… _Purify!_ " A light shone from her hand and the rock exploded into rubble and dust. She quickly stood and backed away, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she coughed.

"That's it?" Shippo questioned unimpressed.

Yuuki went beet red as looked to him insulted. "Hey, that's more than I was able to do yesterday, okay?"

"You did very well, Yuuki," Kakuju said as he approached behind her. She turned around to see him patting his clothes searching for something as her blush went away. She then blinked as he pulled out a sea green beaded necklace. "Take this. It will serve as a medium for you and your Seishin powers."

"Wow, that's very generous of you," she said as she took them. Examining them she asked, "What are these exactly? They're not rosary are they?"

"They are," he nodded. "That rosary is called The Exorcism beads, specially made by a priest long ago. They are purifying rosary that contains the power of holy light. You may use them however you wish."

 _If only I knew how to use them at all_ , she grimaced. A gift wasted. "Yuuki!" Yuuki looked over as Shippo jumped to her shoulder again. Kagome was running towards them while Inuyasha was walking calmly behind her. "There you are! We were getting worried and thought maybe the spider demon got you," she said as she slowed to them.

"What are you doing over here?" Inuyasha asked as he approached.

She shrugged as she put on the rosary over her head. "Befriending old men and breaking rocks."

Kagome blinked before laughing. "Of course, that sounds like my usual Yuuki," she said. She was joking, but Inuyasha only gave her a confused look. That made Yuuki smirk. His cluelessness could be seen as endearing, she supposed. "So, who is this old man?" She asked, turning to Kakuju.

"His name is Grandpa Kakuju," Yuuki replied and put a hand on her hip. Looking over at the man she added, "He was just teaching me a thing or two to survive out here. So, what happened with you two?" She asked Kagome. "Inuyasha seemed like he had a mission."

Inuyasha crossed his arms as he replied, "I was going to go take that spider demon's head and leave it on Zenkichi's doorstep until a random villager ran up to Kagome and started apologizing."

Yuuki raised an eyebrow as Shippo asked, "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Kagome replied, furrowing her brows up. "I awkwardly slipped away and thought maybe he mistook me for you."

"We look nothing alike," she said flatly.

"Well, you two do wear the same clothes," Shippo said.

Yuuki became disheartened, thinking it would be difficult to find good help with simple mentalities like that. Kagome shrugged with a smile, "Come on, I'll bring you to him."

As they began leaving, Yuuki paused and then glanced back at Kakuju. Though he couldn't see, she still gave her rare smile and said, "Thank you, Grandpa, for the help." He only nodded and she followed after her friends.

Inuyasha and Kagome led her to the outskirts of the village, closer to the forest. "Oh, miss!" Yuuki and Shippo watched as man raced up to Kagome and took her hands in his. "I'm so-"

"Back up, old man!" Inuyasha pushed him away from Kagome and then pointed at Yuuki. "She's the one you want!"

Yuuki stared at him flatly with a tick mark. "That's called 'throwing under the bus' and that isn't appreciated."

Kagome quickly stepped in front of Inuyasha and put her hands up, smiling at the old man apologetically. "I'm sorry, but there seems to be a misunderstanding. I think you may want my friend Yuuki, not me," she explained and then gestured to her.

The man and Yuuki made eye contact. "Yeah, I recognize him," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're the one who chased me in the forest with katanas."

"My name is Gosuke," he said and bowed low to her. "Please, will you forgive me? I was panicked; I didn't mean to harm an innocent."

She sighed and looked the man over, he appeared exhausted. He most likely hadn't slept in days. "What exactly were you doing in the woods? You and the other two were very disturbed."

"I am sorry," he said sincerely. Staring at the ground sadly he murmured, "I just wanted to get my daughter back…"

"Your daughter?" Kagome questioned in surprise.

"So that's the nonsense you were talking about," Yuuki realized. "So, a demon stole your daughter?"

"A demon like the giant spider demon?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Yes," Gosuke nodded gravely. "He came to our village two days ago in the dead of night and stole my daughter. My father and my wife went out to search for the demon with me when we encountered you," he said looking at Yuuki. "We saw your strange clothing and thought you were a demon in disguise."

Yuuki was quiet for a moment. She couldn't ignore the fact that his daughter was possibly killed by a demon, however she had to ask. "Forgive me, Gosuke, but I have a question. Did you happen to see a well anywhere around the area you encountered me in?"

"A well?" he questioned, confused at the change of topic.

She nodded. "Or perhaps a hole large enough for a human to fall through? Anything foreign?"

Gosuke hummed as he thought hard. He then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid not. I searched the area thoroughly in search of the demon or my daughter, and I didn't see anything like that."

"So we finally find the place and there's nothing." Inuyasha sighed heavily. "What a waste of time."

Yuuki stared at the ground in silence for a moment, feeling the frustration welling inside her again. Though, as she glanced at Gosuke, she supposed she wasn't the only one with problems. "My parents are probably as worried sick as he is," she said quietly. Inuyasha glanced at her while Shippo looked to her sadly.

Kagome then asked, "Gosuke, did you ever find your daughter or the demon?"

"No…" He turned downcast. "No yet. The young men that went to the old temple to find her never came back…" He covered his face with his hands, hiding his anguish. "She's only a child… I have to go in there myself to find her…"

"Well, then," Inuyasha spoke up. "We'll just have to go in and destroy that demon for you." Yuuki was quick to look at Inuyasha surprised. He was smiling even. His change in attitude towards the issue was sudden and a little bizarre.

Gosuke lifted his had to stare at him in shock. "Y-you… You will!?"

"Inuyasha!" Shippo was surprised as well. "This is so unlike you! Are you okay?" Yuuki glanced over at Kagome for some sort of explanation, but she was only smiling at him.

"I'm so bored from all this walking," Inuyasha replied. "I need a little excitement."

Shippo perked up in realization. "Ohh, I see. That makes sense."

"It's probably just some stale old demon that lives in the old temple," He said nonchalantly. "This'll be a piece of cake."

"So," Kagome turned to Gosuke, "Where's the old temple?"

"Just over there," he replied, pointing up the path ahead of them. "Past the rocky expanse." He stared at them all pleadingly. "Please, help my daughter Sachi."

* * *

The group went through Akebi Village into the more mountainous region through the rocky area Gosuke spoke of. Kagome fell into step with Yuuki next to Shippo. She smiled at him and said, "Shippo, would you mind giving me and Yuuki a minute?"

"Oh I suppose," he said reluctantly and jumped off Yuuki's shoulder. They watched as he ran up for Inuyasha and walked beside him instead.

Yuuki looked over at Kagome and asked, "What's up?"

"Inuyasha can be frustrating at times," she said as she stared at the demon boy, "but he really does have a good heart."

Yuuki closed her eyes and smirked, huffing a laugh. "How's that? He seems more like a chaotic neutral."

"Well," Kagome smiled over at her, "Why do you think he decided to kill the spider demon and save the girl?" she then looked towards Inuyasha and added, "He was upset when you were nice with Shippo and Kaede. He doesn't think I notice, but it's fairly obvious. He became jealous when we were holding hands, too. Knowing you liked children he jumped on this quest so you could like him, too."

"Really?" Yuuki stared at the back of Inuyasha's head in surprise. He was fairly stubborn and rude, but Yuuki wasn't used to people doing things solely for her. Just to get her to like him? It made her feel... good. _I guess he isn't all that bad. Must be how Kagome's able to stand him._

Inuyasha's ear twitched and he was about to turn his head. Yuuki quickly snagged Kagome's hand and looked away, causing Kagome to sweat drop. "Yuuki..." Inuyasha noticed them holding hands again and he quickly grumbled, crossed his arms and walked faster. "Yuuki, you're just making him upset."

"I'm having fun," she corrected, and she smiled to herself. Kagome watched her for a moment, surprised to see the new expression on her face. She hadn't known her childhood friend to be so playful. Yuuki looked to the clear sky that was turning pink, figuring they were at higher altitude; the air was crisp and clean. The coldness was refreshing. She leaned her head back to enjoy the sun and air. _I don't know why, but I'm feeling better about my situation here._

"Hey, how is everyone back in our time?" Kagome suddenly asked.

Yuuki opened her eyes and looked at her sideways. "Define everyone?"

"You know," Kagome made a vague gesture with her free hand as she replied, "Eri, Ayumi, Yuka, our friends."

"Those are the only friends I have besides you," she said, closing her eyes again. "I only have them _because_ of you." Kagome frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but she interrupted saying, "They're fine, though Eri is a little imp as usual." She set her head right and furrowed her brows up at Kagome. "They miss you every day you're gone. We rarely see you and when we do you're busy with school. Not to mention they're worried about the new illnesses and diseases." Kagome stared at the ground guiltily. Yuuki tilted her head and suggested, "How about you come back one day and hang out with us when there isn't school. So we can catch up?"

Kagome smiled at her and said, "That sounds like a wonderful Idea, Yuuki. I just have to get Inuyasha to approve," she added with a sweat drop.

Yuuki only huffed at that. "I'll make him approve." Kagome only turned nervous at that. "Anyways," she looked back at her with a smirk. "Hojo's also worried about you."

"And how's Kurosawa?" She shot back with her own mischievous smile. Yuuki turned annoyed as a blush appeared on her face. "That's what I thought!" Kagome held her head high in victory. Yuuki only tch'd and glanced away. Everyone always seemed to be picking on her.

"Hey, slowpokes! Hurry up!" They heard Inuyasha shout from ahead. Yuuki and Kagome separated and ran after him and Shippo, turning around a particularly big, mossy decorative boulder to find the abandoned looking temple. Kagome and Yuuki walked up next to Inuyasha, all of them staring at the building. "I can smell the demon hiding out in there," Inuyasha said. "And human blood."

"This temple is awfully big," Shippo commented as he looked up and down the long building. "How are we supposed to find Sachi?"

"Well, spiders ensnare their victims in their webs," Yuuki explained and Kagome's face fell with repulsion at the thought of it. "The more webs we find the closer we should be to her."

With that Inuyasha took the lead into the temple. It was dusty and the walls were crumbling away, the floor boards rotten to the point of collapsing from its own weight. Cautiously they explored the temple, not seeing any signs of a spider demon. "The demons scent is everywhere," Inuyasha said as he entered a room. Shippo remained with him while Kagome explored her own room. Yuuki ventured off down the hall deeper into the temple.

She entered a random room with the door ripped down. Walking in there was dishware littered on the ground collecting dust, a broken table and worn down rugs. She walked to the back towards an old unmade futon. She looked back and forth, examining he room for anything useful, but only found cob webs. She took a step and heard the faintest sound of the ding of metal, feeling a lump under her foot. Looking down, she stepped back and found an old key. She knelt down and picked it up, examining it. "This looks like a key to something important," she murmured to herself.

"Yuuki?" Kagome's voice called.

"Coming," she called back, slipping the key into her skirt pocket as she stood. She walked back out and followed the halls until she found her friends gathered in front of a set of large double doors. "Find anything?" She asked.

Inuyasha nudged his head towards the door and replied, "The scent is stronger through these doors."

"But it's locked," Shippo added sadly from Kagome's shoulder.

"Here, let me try," Kagome stepped towards the door and reached into her pocket. "I found a couple of keys in some rooms," she explained and tried them. Neither of them worked to her disappointment.

"Kagome," Yuuki reached into her pocket and held out her key. "Try this. I found it as well." Kagome nodded and took the key. Trying it the doors unlocked with a loud click. She pushed on them and they creaked terribly, causing Yuuki to cringe a little. "Well, I supposed our announcement was made."

"Makes no difference," Inuyasha replied. "Prepared or not I'm killing the thing."

They could hear the evening crows outside as they continued further into the temple. Yuuki began glaring around her as she brought up the rear behind Kagome, her paranoia rising. They found some stairs and went further down into darkness. During their decent, Yuuki pulled at the collar of her school shirt feeling uncomfortable. "It's… Stuffy in here," she commented, unsure of herself. It seemed harder to breathe really, feeling a pressure on her chest.

"It's not just stuffy," Kagome said, glancing back at her. "There's a demonic aura. You must be sensing it."

Sensing a demonic aura? Yuuki frowned when Kagome turned back around. Paranoia, feeling gravity weighing her down, becoming physically uncomfortable, having troubles breathing… _Well, makes sense._ When they reached the lower level, the candles lining the halls were lit showing someone was home. Aside from the demonic aura, there was something else nagging at Yuuki. It wasn't anything negative necessarily, but there was a pulling sensation...

She quickly stopped when Inuyasha and Kagome froze abruptly. "I smell fresh human blood," Inuyasha said looking back at them. "That spider is definitely ahead."

Kagome brought a hand to her chest, staring up ahead of them hard. "I hope we're not too late for Sachi..."

"Um..."

They all looked back at Yuuki, seeing her staring down the hall with a distant look in her eyes. Kagome became worried, "Yuuki, what is it? Is it the demonic aura? Is it overwhelming you?"

Yuuki slowly shook her head. She was focused on this new sensation, something calling out to her. "I-I don't think it's the demon... I'm not sure what it is, but the further we go the stronger the feeling is."

Kagome stared at her in shock. "Are you... Are you sensing the kehai of the jewel shard?"

Yuuki furrowed her brows up at her, snapping back to her reality. "What?"

"The Shikon no Tama," she explained, "It emits a kehai that few can sense. It's not very strong so the demon must have one, but even a small shard is incredibly powerful."

"You guys stay here," Inuyasha ordered as he began walking off.

"What are you saying, Inuyasha?" Shippo called after him.

Kagome frowned after him annoyed. "No matter how strong you are, you'll still be in danger if you go alone."

Inuyasha looked back at them over his shoulder. "I'll defeat this demon quickly and then we'll be on our way." With that he disappeared into the shadows.

Yuuki frowned after him. "Sounds like a tough guy," she commented sarcastically.

"He's always making decisions on his own," Shippo said to her unhappily, visibly upset by it.

Kagome turned to him on her shoulder and smiled. "He's really trying to keep us from danger, Shippo."

"Really? I didn't hear him say that," he said skeptically.

Yuuki suddenly bent over, resting her hands on her knees and taking effort to breathe. They watched her concerned and Kagome said, "Yuuki, you stay here. The demonic aura and kehai are overwhelming you. Shippo and I will go ahead and help Inuyasha, all right?" Yuuki glanced up at her friend, seeing a determined expression she hadn't seen before. Yuuki nodded and Kagome ran off with Shippo.

Yuuki leaned back against the wall, focusing on her breathing. Her body felt flushed and the air was stifling. Somehow Kagome was able to handle these sensations just fine. It made her feel a bit weak, and so she worked on adjusting herself to become comfortable. It took a while, and she heard no sounds since her friends left. _How far did they go?_ She eventually was able to stand upright, breathing normal again. She wiped the perspiration from her face, wondering if she should be worried. She was certainly anxious.

After a while she eventually found herself pacing, fiddling with the new rosary around her neck. Then from the distance, Kagome screamed and Inuyasha shouted, " _Bastard!_ "

"Kagome!" Yuuki was sprinting down the hallway. She spotted the open sliding doors and turned into them, sliding to a sudden stop. She stared around the room wide eyed seeing the mass of thick webs strewn about. Inuyasha was tangled and pinned to the floor, Shippo suspended in the air. Kagome was tangled as well, hanging in full display in front of the spider demon that was crawling towards her until Yuuki interrupted. She glared at the demon; it was certainly large enough to eat a small child, dark purple in color with stringy black hair on its head, curved horns protruding from the top.

The spider demon grinned at her, showing off its fangs. "Well, well, there's still more of you."

It was certainly a monstrous looking thing, something out of a nightmare. Yuuki swallowed and somehow her voice was stronger than she felt, "Well, I see the villager's exaggerated. You don't even have ten eyes." She glanced around, seeing Inuyasha had a massive sword in his hand that couldn't possibly fit in his sheath. Kagome had her bow, but her quiver of arrows were lost.

The demon narrowed his yellow eyes and said, "Seeing how you've escaped being captured, you should run away. I do like having a chase, it builds the appetite."

Well this was a bad situation. Feeling something akin to resignation, Yuuki took of her rosary in preparation for a fight and the demon laughed. "Yuuki!" She glanced over at Inuyasha, seeing him struggle to lift his head as he looked back at her. "He's using power from the shards of the Shikon Jewel. You **can't** win; you have to run away!"

"And risk letting him kill you?" She questioned back in absurdity. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"You idiot!" He fired back hotly. "Quit standing there trying to act brave! Run away!"

"Just shut up," she faced off with the demon. She closed her eyes, calming herself down.

Kagome glanced back at her friend worried. "Yuuki?" She asked nervously.

Shippo couldn't even move. His eyes screwed shut he shouted, "Yuuki, you should listen to Inuyasha! You need to get away while you can!"

Yuuki opened her light lavender eyes again and quickly scanned the room. Webs were everywhere; she couldn't move to get closer to the demon. She only had a rosary and she needed to reach the spider from where she stood, but they were on opposite sides of the room. Then, she spotted a Buddhist statue above the demon, sitting on a ledge. The only attack she knew she could use was her purifying touch… She looked down at the rosary in her hand. _I can use this however I want, right?_ She eyed the statue again. At the risk of utterly failing, she lashed out at the statue with her necklace. The rosary broke into a single string and extended out, glowing green and whipping into the wooden shelf holding the Buddhist statue.

"Wh-What!?" The demon looked up to see the crumbling rock fall on top of him.

Yuuki's Exorcism Beads retracted and reformed on their own. In the demons distraction she ran forward to Inuyasha. She tangled her hands into the webs that bound him and then focused her Seishin powers, seeing her hands glow white. " _Purify!_ " Instantly the webs were burned away throughout the room freeing them.

Kagome gaped in surprise as she was released. She landed on her feet next to the spider that struggled in the rubble. Kagome's bow shone with her own spiritual energy and whacked the spider across the face, forcing him back and allowing her to run to her friends. Shippo joined them and beamed at Yuuki. "You did it, Yuuki!"

Inuyasha stood up and readied his massive sword, smirking at the demon as he recovered. "Not bad for a newbie."

Yuuki frowned at him, a blush dusting her cheeks. "I've done more than you have."

"Oh yeah? Watch this then." The demon shook off the rubble and glared at them angrily. " _Wind Scar!_ " Inuyasha swung his glaive and five streaks of power rushed at the spider, making him shriek. The attack tore through the demon and ripped him apart. Yuuki blinked, seeing the demon nothing but a pile of blood and body parts. Feeling the power of the attack nearly knocked her off her feet. _He truly is strong then_ , she thought, feeling in awe of his strength. Inuyasha huffed a laugh, resting his sword on his shoulder. "He was all talk."

Kagome smiled as she approached Yuuki. "If it weren't for you, Yuuki, we'd be done for. Where did you learn that?"

"She learned it from Grandpa Kakuju," Shippo replied for her, jumping up on her shoulder.

"Well, everyone's safe now," Inuyasha said as he put his sword away. Yuuki stared as the giant glaive somehow fit in the tiny sheath. He crossed his arms. "That's all that matters."

Kagome frowned at him. "You can at least say thanks, Inuyasha."

"No need," Yuuki replied, recovering from her shock. "We wouldn't want to put too much strain on him."

Inuyasha walked off to the back of the room, stepping through the spider remains, and forced the doors open. As the others approached, the smell of blood wafting from the room made them recoil, and forced Yuuki to cover her nose. " _This_ what you were smelling, Inuyasha?" _He could smell this from outside the temple?_

"Definitely," he said gravely and went inside.

The room was twice as large, obviously a shrine with a large Buddhist statue in the back. There were decaying bodies and skeletons with webs strewn about. Cautiously walking in, Yuuki looked around in repulsion. "Sachi?" She called out. She had seen horror movies before, but seeing this in the flesh disturbed her. She took a step and heard a crunch, feeling the breaking force under her foot. She quickly recoiled and looked down, seeing she broke someone's arm.

"Do you think she's still alive?" Shippo asked quietly.

"Shut up," Inuyasha replied as he walked around the room. Kagome looked around as well and then paused, seeing a large cluster of web behind a couple of dead men. It wiggled and she yelped, stumbling back. The three of them quickly whirled around. "What is it, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"I… I think I found a spider's cocoon," she replied. "It's moving!"

They hurried over and gathered around, seeing the web bulge wiggling still. "It's not a spider's egg, is it!?" Shippo asked panicked, going blue in the face with fear and disgust.

"What are you so afraid of?" Inuyasha asked annoyed. He marched ahead of them up to the cocoon. He flexed his clawed hands and then grabbed the web. In a swift movement he tore open the sack and blinked. The others watched as a little girl in a red and yellow kimono blinked back up at him.

She then broke into a grin. "Thank you!" She tackled his leg in a hug, making him flustered. "It was so scary in there!"

"Wha- hey!" Inuyasha shook his leg, awkwardly trying to get her off.

"Sachi?" Yuuki questioned and the girl responded by looking over at her. Yuuki's face softened as she smiled. Kneeling down to her level she asked, "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

Sachi shook her head. "It hurt a little bit being in there, but I'm okay now."

"I'm glad you're safe," Shippo smiled at her. "What a relief!"

"At least he hadn't eaten you yet," Inuyasha said crudely and the girl released his leg, staring up at him worried. Crossing his arms he said, "Come on, everyone, let's go."


	3. Breadcrumb Trail

It was night when the group escorted Sachi back to Akebi Village where she was reunited with her father Gosuke. His wife, Yone, cried as she held her daughter. Gosuke bowed again and again, thanking them over and over. Yuuki didn't know what to do with the man's behavior while Kagome smiled, putting up her hands. "Really, it was nothing," she insisted.

Inuyasha felt uncomfortable enough to leave and the group followed. Leaving their house Kagome frowned at her friend apologetically. "I'm sorry we didn't find anything that could take you home."

Yuuki only shrugged. "Either way, it's too late to get home before a reasonable hour. I just have to keep searching. But first…"

She slowed to a stop and Inuyasha glanced back annoyed. "What is it now?"

"It's late, but I want to see if Grandpa Kakuju is still hanging out by the pond," she replied. She turned and added, "You can go ahead to Kaede's Village if you want, by all means."

Inuyasha rounded on her and barked, "You really think we're just going to let you wander through the woods alone at night? Think again, idiot."

Yuuki glared at him flatly with a blush, her brown hair flaring out more in irritation. Kagome chuckled with a sweat drop while Shippo smiled at Yuuki and explained, "That's Inuyasha just trying to be nice."

"Shut up, Shippo," he snapped.

"He's just embarrassed," Shippo amended.

"Gee, I couldn't tell," she murmured sarcastically and began walking away. She led them back to the pond and surprisingly Kakuju was still there.

Crickets chirped all around them with fireflies dancing above the water. He turned around as they approached and said, "Well, you haven't been gone long, but you've already experienced so much. I can sense you're more in tune with the Seishin power. Tell me what happened." Yuuki nodded and complied, explaining how they found the spider demon and defeated it, and then saved Sachi. Kakuju remained still as he listened. When she was done he nodded with a hum. "I can't say I'm surprised that you defeated the spider demon. You have a stronger connection to the Seishin than I anticipated. I have a premonition that you will be fighting many more demons from now on."

Yuuki smiled ruefully at that. "You sound so proud, yet I was hoping for a 'you'll find your way back home' premonition."

Kakuju nodded in understanding. "There is hope."

"What a stupid old man," Inuyasha grumbled behind them and Yuuki's eye twitched.

"You're so rude, Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed at him. She then stared at Kakuju apologetically. "I'm sorry for him, Kakuju."

"It's all right," he replied. He then turned around and faced the pond. "There are many different uses for Seishin power. It can do more than just break rocks or destroy webs. That rosary I gave you is a channel to your powers to help you fight in battle. Without your powers it's no more than an accessory." He faced Yuuki again and said, "If you want to learn how to wield your rosary to help you fight, come stand beside me. Remember, close your eyes and be very still."

Yuuki nodded, "Okay." Shippo jumped off her shoulder and watched with the others as she and Kakuju faced the water together. They held hands and their rosary began to glow, Yuuki's green and Kakuju's purple. Their clothes swayed and hair lifted just as before. Images and words swarmed inside Yuuki's mind, almost overwhelming her. Calmly they settled down and the light from their rosary went away. Yuuki gasped and stumbled back, but didn't fall on her butt that time. She panted, staring down at her Exorcism Beads. How did he do that? Suddenly her mind was filled with knowledge as if she had always known.

Kakuju turned to her. "Now you have learned to call upon the Seishin when you fight and wield your rosary properly."

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. "Hey, that's pretty cool, Gramps! I wish it were that easy for me."

"Come," Kakuju motioned Yuuki to approach and she did. He then gestured across the pond with his cane. "Do you see that boulder over there?"

Gazing across the water, there was a rock no bigger than the one she broke before. She nodded and replied, "Yes."

"Use your new knowledge to destroy it with your Exorcism Beads," he instructed.

She smirked as she took off her rosary. "Always the violent one, aren't you?" That made Kakuju chuckle.

Her friends watched as Yuuki faced off with the rock across the large pond. "What's she gonna do?" Shippo asked, looking up at Kagome. "It's too far for her to reach that."

"I don't know, Shippo," she replied as she watched her friend.

Yuuki tossed her rosary in the air and then clapped her hands together with a shout. The beads broke apart and shone brightly. They flew at an incredible speed and shot into the rock, destroying it to rubble. Yuuki raised her hand and the beads shot back from the dust to her hand, slowing and reforming before gently landing in her grasp. "That's good for now," Kakuju said as she put her rosary back on. "Soon you will be able to completely control your powers."

Yuuki turned to him and smiled again. "Thank you, Kakuju. You're very generous and I'm grateful for your help."

Kakuju nodded, still staring out at the water. "It's getting late. You should hurry home, now. No doubt we'll see each other again."

"See you around, Grandpa Kakuju," she said and followed her friends away from there.

"Wow, I'm really impressed, Yuuki," Kagome said as they traveled out of Akebi Village. "In just about half a day you've grown new powers and even know how to use them!"

Yuuki looked down at her hands. "I know… I don't know what Grandpa Kakuju did, but it feels a part of me."

"Good, so you won't be completely useless now," Inuyasha said from the front and Yuuki glared at him with a blush of anger.

"Are you picking a fight?" She asked dangerously.

Inuyasha put his hands behind his head and looked back at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

She turned away and huffed in annoyance. "Never mind then." Kagome smiled at her apologetically as she sighed. He really was just rough around the edges.

They made it back to Kaede's Village. It seemed like a ghost town with everyone in bed. Back at home there would still be cars and building lights keeping you from seeing the stars. She couldn't tell if it was eerie or peaceful. They entered Kaede's hut and the old woman shot upright from the floor, surprised to see them. "Ye are all back!"

"Sorry to wake you, Kaede," Kagome apologized as they filed in, gathering around the cooking pot.

"No need to apologize," she replied. She then turned to Yuuki and asked, "Did ye find any clues?"

Sitting down, Yuuki only looked at her and shook her head. "Not at all."

"But we learned how to use Seishin powers!" Shippo added helpfully. "Just as Inuyasha was about to be killed, Yuuki used her Seishin powers to save him!"

"Shut up, Shippo," Inuyasha snapped. "That's not how it happened at all."

"Seishin?" Kaede questioned.

"Have you heard of it before?" Kagome asked, gaining everyone's attention.

Kaede put a hand to her chin, wracking her brain. "Aye, the name is familiar... however I can't seem to recall where I've heard it from..."

"An old man who I think is a priest named Kakuju taught me," Yuuki explained.

Kaede seemed impressed. "Well, I've never heard of the name before, but he must be impressive to teach you so much in a short amount of time."

"All right, enough boasting her ego," Inuyasha interrupted and Yuuki shot a glare at him. "Let's get to bed."

"Aye," Kaede nodded, "ye will all need an early start tomorrow. Let's get some rest."

Yuuki and Inuyasha narrowed their eyes at each other. They then looked away at the same time with a huff. She then curled up on her side on the floor as everyone else and closed her eyes. She listened as one by one they all fell asleep. _Must be nice getting rest_. She rolled onto her back and tucked her arm behind her head, staring at the ceiling. She was exhausted to her core, however her mind was still active. _Maybe if I fell asleep I'd wake up at home. If I could get to sleep._ Instead her mind wandered over the events of the day.

Eventually Yuuki got up and snuck outside. Despite being physically tired already, she needed to push her body's limit if she was going to pass out. _Perhaps it's the Seishin giving me this energy._ She was a bit more used to it now having exercised her abilities a few times. Yuuki walked along the water that cut through the village, deciding it was peaceful with the sounds of nature's nightlife. The water, the insects, the wind...

Yuuki looked up at the moon, wondering who that woman's voice was. _Leave at once._ Just before Inuyasha shoved her into the well. Yuuki knew it was a stranger's voice that only she heard. It echoed inside her, and left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Who could she have possibly heard?

"Don't wander off too far." Yuuki jumped slightly at the sudden voice. She turned to see Inuyasha had been following her. "You don't know you're way around yet. I don't need you getting lost."

"The village isn't that big," she argued. Akebi was bigger than this.

"Yeah, and you'll probably still get lost."

She blushed in frustration and snapped back, "Why are you awake anyways?"

"I don't need to sleep as much as the others," he replied, and it sounded like a genuine answer. She eyed him up at down, possibly because he was a half demon?

He didn't pressure her to go back, he merely hung around looking out at the fields towards the moon. As Yuuki studied him, she figured now would be a good time to ask a few questions. "So..." He glanced at her. "Are there... you know... a lot of your kind?"

He shrugged a shoulder, "Eh, possibly. Though I haven't seen 'em around often." He looked back towards the moon and went more in depth for her. "Dog demons, not so much. As for half breeds like me, we're usually hunted by both demons and humans. We're not really liked all around."

"Oh..." She hugged herself feeling like she was being invasive. "So it's safe to assume you had a rough time growing up?"

"You'd assume right."

He didn't seem too bothered by it. "So then... where did your demon side come from?"

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "My mother was human, my father was demon. I had my mother for a while... I never knew my father though."

He didn't have very much to say about it, it seemed like. Yuuki sucked in a breath, thinking of a way to lighten the mood that seemed to turn dark around him so suddenly. "Well, that's all right." He glanced at her again, and was surprised at the smile she gave him. "It's not that bad not knowing your family. I apparently have a lot of relatives, though I don't know any of them. Kagome didn't know her own father very well either. He died shortly after her brother was born."

Inuyasha hummed and turned back to the moon. Though she stared at him, she couldn't tell if that made him feel better or not. It made her slightly nervous. _I didn't mean to set him in a bad mood..._ She couldn't help her curiosity. "Sorry we didn't get any clues on how to get you home." Her eyebrows went up as he turned to her. "I know a lot's happened in a day. You're handling it about as well as Kagome did her first time here."

 _I'll assume that's a good thing._ Yuuki nodded, looking away from him. His sudden niceness was awkward for her to handle. "Yes, well... I figured it's not every day girls are dropping in from another time. If there was a way here for me there'd be a way back."

"Hey," she glanced at him and lightly blushed at his smile, "you're pretty optimistic for someone I pegged as a pessimist."

She quickly looked away again. "You're... more helpful than I thought you would be." She was so used to his glares that his happy expression made her feel weird. Her stomach felt a little squirmy. _I didn't get a chance to eat dinner, did I?_

"Listen, Yuuki, we'll help you find a way back, I promise." She took a glance at him, but couldn't look at his soft features for long. She only nodded, trusting his words. "Let's get back to Kaede's. Staying up late won't make you feel any better."

The two of them walked together back to the hut and Yuuki settled herself on the hardwood floor while Inuyasha sat against the wall. She kept herself still, and eventually her mind drifted off into a dreamland as she slowly fell asleep.

 _"Return to your time!"_

All too soon did she wake with a jolt. Her lavender eyes stared widely at the wall, her breath quick and her body with a thin layer of sweat. She glanced up at the window, seeing the light coming in with the sounds of birds and children playing nearby. _What the hell was that?_

She must have dreamt. The sounds of a woman's demand still rang through her ears as if someone shouted into them. Yuuki laid there, calming herself as she tried to remember anything. It was a woman, a blurry outline. Dark hair and... wearing white? Yuuki closed her eyes and sighed, her adrenaline giving way to fatigue. _Did I get any sleep at all?_

That's when the smell of food hit her nose and her stomach suddenly woke up. Slowly she pushed herself off the ground and stifled a yawn. "Good morning, Yuuki," Kaede said as she stirred the cooking pot.

"Morning," she replied and sat proper. She looked around to see her friends at just starting to stir as well, Shippo stretching wide, Kagome rummaging through her yellow backpack, and Inuyasha's eyes fluttering open still sitting upright against the wall. _He can sleep like that?_ Yuuki wondered if it was a defensive habit.

"Here, Yuuki," Kagome handed her a hairbrush and she thanked her. Thus she began going through her mass of curly hair.

Shippo rolled up to a sitting position and yawned loudly. "Good morning, everyone," he said.

"Good morning," Kagome replied. She got up and retrieved wooden bowls for Kaede, helping her fill them with stew.

"So, what do ye all plan on doing today?" Kaede asked as she passed out the bowls.

Yuuki set down the brush and accepted her bowl. "I'm not sure," she replied, staring down at her food. Shippo took his happily while Inuyasha and Kagome accepted theirs gratefully. "Seeing as how our only clue was a dead end I don't see what there is to do next."

"I was thinking," Kagome spoke up as Shippo inhaled the food. "Why don't we take the day off today?"

"The day off?" Inuyasha questioned in a low tone. He didn't like the sound of that.

She turned to him and explained, "Yuuki is new here. She must be exhausted from fighting demons and developing new powers in just a day. She needs a beak before she's overwhelmed."

Shippo paused his consumption to chew and swallow before smiling up at Kagome. "You're so nice, Kagome. I agree."

"Thank you, Kagome," Yuuki nodded to her. "I do need a few minutes to at least get my bearings." The dream she had left her feeling off and unsettled. It was a bad start to the day, and she was so _tired_ still.

"But I don't think it's a good idea for us to split up," a small male voice spoke up. There was a loud sucking sound and Inuyasha smacked himself in the face, making Yuuki blink at him.

There as an awkward pause and Yuuki wondered if he smacked himself on purpose or if Kagome taught him a new command. No one else seemed to be too concerned about it, so she had to ask, "Um... what was that?"

Inuyasha held out his palm and replied, "It's just Myoga."

Yuuki leaned in with the others to stare at his open palm. There was a small flea-looking man flattened in his palm. After he popped back out to size he sat down and folded his four arms. "It's been a while, Master Inuyasha." He then turned to stare up at Yuuki. "Well, well, nice to meet you. My name is Myoga; I'm Master Inuyasha's bodyguard."

"He runs away at the slightest sign of danger," Inuyasha said and she looked at him. "Not much of a bodyguard."

"Oh, I see," Yuuki stared back down at Myoga. She supposed she could only take this as the norm. "Well my name is Fujiwara Yuuki. I'm a friend of Kagome's."

"Now, as custom, we must do the formal greeting ceremony," Myoga said and she furrowed her brows confused. The others watched as Myoga jumped onto Yuuki's shoulder.

There was a sucking down and she quickly smacked her neck. "If this is formal then I guarantee I would have killed you on casual," she said as she held out her palm, glaring at the flattened Myoga. Now her neck had a slight itching sensation.

After he popped back out to size again he sighed in satisfaction. "That was exceptionally delicious," he said and she frowned, feeling slightly disturbed. "Now never mind that. I agree with Kagome's last suggestion. There are demons all around. We should make teams before we take off, just in case."

"I thought if you were here then it wasn't so dangerous," Yuuki said and Myoga sweat dropped.

"Still, we don't want to get into any sort of trouble," Kagome pointed out.

"So let's go in teams of two!" Shippo suggested.

"It's decided," Kagome stood up. "I'll hang out with Shippo today. Yuuki, why don't you spend some time with Inuyasha?"

"Do you _want_ us to fight?" Both Inuyasha and Yuuki asked her. She didn't feel right being left alone with him.

"I'm going to go collect chestnuts!" Shippo said as he hurried out of the hut.

"Wait for me, Shippo!" Kagome called and hurried after him.

Yuuki and Inuyasha frowned after her before glancing at each other. They both huffed and turned away while Kaede continued to eat peacefully. Well, she supposed he wasn't all that bad last night, but that's what made her uneasy the most. Aside from that he was just generally rude and provoking. She sighed and dropped Myoga on the ground so she could eat her food. After she finished she stood, "Well, come on, Inuyasha."

"You serious?" Inuyasha asked skeptically.

She paused by the door and glanced back at him. "You wanna make Kagome happy, right?" Judging by the irritated look he gave her she assumed she won an argument. She crossed her arms and waited, and eventually Inuyasha came grumbling out. "So, can you help me with something?" She asked.

His grumbling ebbed to curiosity. "With what?"

"I'm looking for a certain herb," she explained. "It has a peculiar smell and I was hoping you could help me find it with your nose."

"Is that right," he murmured as he crossed his arms. "What a pain in the butt." She glared at him flatly, her eyebrow twitching. _Did he always have to complain?_ "Fine, I'll help you," he said and marched off. She rolled her eyes at his behavior and quickly followed him. _He didn't even ask what herb._ As he sniffed the air he led them to the outskirts of the village along the tree line.

Yuuki hung back and held her arms, watching him sniff around the bushes. "Can you find it?" She asked.

He glanced back at her annoyed and replied, "Be patient. It's faint, but I can smell it."

She smirked at his behavior. She had to admit he was pretty entertaining. He seemed very serious as he sniffed around the brush. She then glanced ahead and perked up. "Oh…" She walked ahead past him without his notice and knelt down to the plant. "Found it." She plucked it and stood up. "Inuyasha," she called.

"Don't bother me," he snapped back. "I said I'm looking for it!" Yuuki sighed and then approached him, holding out the herb. She watched as he continued to sniff and slowly trailed towards her. With his eyes closed he followed his nose right to her hand. "Hey, I found it!" He said happily and opened his eyes. He then blinked and looked up at her smirk. He quickly stood upright and crossed his arms turning away from her. "What a waste of time," he said with a light blush.

Surprisingly Yuuki found herself holding back a chuckle. It wasn't often she laughed from pure entertainment. "Sorry about that, but thank you for your effort."

"Well, I'm glad you found it," he said and then looked down at the herb. "So, what is it anyways? It doesn't smell like much from here."

"It's called mint," she replied and held the plant up to his face. "In order to fully smell the plant you have to pinch it first."

"Huh? Let's see…" Curious, he pinched one of the leaves. He then choked on a yelp and stumbled back, holding his nose. Yuuki was astonished at first as he shouted, "You fool! Get that away from me!"

"Pfft-!" She quickly covered her mouth, her face going red as she help back laughter.

He glared at her again and shouted incredulously, "Are you laughing at me!?"

She choked down her laughter. "It smells _good_ ," she insisted and then stuffed some of the plant in her mouth, chewing it.

"Are you insane!?" He shouted, watching her bizarrely.

Yuuki covered her mouth and looked over at him to reply, "It's to freshen your breath so it doesn't stink. You should try some."

"Keep that away!" He shouted and then ran off.

Yuuki tilted her head at his enhanced speed and decided it was pointless to try and follow. Instead she casually walked back, munching on the rest of the mint. _Though he can be annoying, he isn't all that bad._ As she passed through the town square, she watched as some children played with a ball. "Greetings!" There was suddenly a shadow looming over her and she quickly jerked back from surprise.

She was stopped by a very large man. She took an extra step back as he had both weight and height on her and it made her uncomfortable. The man smiled down at her and said, "Sorry to startle you, my name is Kimbei. I was wondering if you knew where I could find tasty cakes around here?"

"Sorry, but I couldn't say. I only just arrived," she replied and went to side step around him, but sweat dropped. He was too big for a single side step.

"Just arrived? Aw, that's too bad," he said and slumped over, making her nervous. She was afraid he would fall down on top of her. Staring down at her, he then became curious. "Hey… I've seen you before! Now where was it…?"

Yuuki suddenly looked up at him confused as he tapped his chin. Inuyasha and Kagome walked up behind her and overheard, "I'm sorry, Kimbei was it? I'm afraid I've never seen you before." There was no possible way he recognized _her_ looks.

"What's going on?" Shippo asked and Yuuki glanced back, seeing them gathered behind her.

"Oh, yes!" Kimbei exclaimed with a loud clap of his massive hands, making Yuuki jump. "In Kasasagi Town!"

Yuuki forced a polite smile up at him that twitched. "Again, I'm sorry, but I don't know where that town is. In fact, this is the first time I've heard of it."

"Nope, no mistake," he said shaking his head. "Kasasagi Town. That's where I saw your face."

Kagome pressed a finger to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "I'm getting tired just listening to him."

"Then let's go," Inuyasha said simply and walked around the man.

"Excuse us," Yuuki bowed awkwardly and quickly followed him, trailed by Kagome and Shippo. She sighed in relief once she was away from the large man and then hurried over to Kaede's hut. That man _had_ to be mistaken, however it was really odd to confuse her looks with someone else. Entering inside she called, "Lady Kaede?"

"Hm?" She looked up at her from the paper she was writing on with a paintbrush. "What is it, Yuuki?"

"I was wondering if you knew were Kasasagi Town was," she said as she sat with her, her friends following inside behind her.

"Why do ye want to know?" She asked curiously.

"There was a large man outside named Kimbei. He said he for sure saw my face before in that town, but I've never been," she explained. "I might be grasping at straws, but it's a little too odd."

"Ah, Kimbei," she said and nodded, obviously knowing the man. "He's a bit of a gluttonous young man, but he's no liar, I can assure ye. If ye think it's a lead, why don't ye all travel to Kasasagi Town? It's just south of here and not very far."

"Well… It sounds like a start," Yuuki said as she stood.

Kagome stared at her unsure and asked, "Are you sure, Yuuki?"

She nodded to her. Putting a hand on her hip she replied, "There isn't much I can do around here. If Kimbei truly believes he saw me, then it may lead to me returning home."

"And in the city we can find leads to the Shikon Jewel shards," Inuyasha added.

"Wow, Inuyasha, did you just agree with Yuuki?" Shippo asked surprised.

"Didn't you hear me?" He questioned annoyed. "I'm willing to do anything to get the shards of the Shikon Jewel and that's it."

Yuuki looked over at him tiredly. He couldn't just be outright nice, could he? "Let's go while we still have daylight."

"Right," Kagome nodded and Inuyasha headed out first.

The group traveled together through the woods along the dirt paths, spotting wildlife scurrying about. It was a little after midday when they reached the exceptionally large town. Yuuki was expecting something minor, but this really was a city. "This is Kasasagi Town," Kagome said as they entered. "It's the biggest city around here and they sell pretty much everything you need for traveling."

"Hey, do you think they sell any juice here?" Shippo asked beneath them.

Yuuki smiled down at him. "Are you thirsty, Shippo?" She asked and he nodded.

"I'll take him to a shop and get him something," Kagome said as Inuyasha stared up the road, watching the crowd of people bustling about.

"There sure are a lot of people," he commented.

"Yes," Yuuki agreed as Shippo jumped up onto Kagome's shoulder. "This means we should split up and ask around. No doubt it'll get dark before we ask everyone, but after we get any information we'll meet back here."

"The city is big, so be careful not to get lost," Kagome warned them.

The three of them then went separate ways. Yuuki idly strolled through the city, observing people as they went about their day as usual. Her plan was solid enough, but now that she was in action she wasn't sure of what to do. Was she just supposed to walk up to people and ask, 'have you seen me before?' She brought a hand to her chin thoughtfully. This city was too far from where she woke up. It was in the opposite direction in fact. How was it possible that Kimbei saw her before in this town?

A man that was walking the street paused, spotting Yuuki. He stared at her dumbly as she strolled past, not realizing he was blatantly staring. He blinked, kicked into gear, and then exclaimed, "Y-You! I've seen you before!"

Yuuki stopped short and turned to stare at him surprised. "Me?" She questioned, pointing to herself. He nodded furiously. _This is the second claim now._ It couldn't have been a coincidence. "Where?"

He hesitated and then thought hard for a moment. She cocked an eyebrow and fully faced him, resting her hand on her hip. She waited patiently until his face lit up in realization. Pointing at her accusingly he shouted, "You're the girl from the wanted poster!"

Her eyes went wide. "... Wait- _wanted_ _poster?_ "

"Guards!" Yuuki watched incredulously as he ran up the street and began shouted. "Guards! I found the girl on the wanted poster!"

She then frowned at him unhappily. "Now hold on just a minute," she said as she walked up to him. He spun around and stared at her slightly fearful as she approached. "I'm not on any wanted posters. I'm-"

"It's her!" A woman suddenly shouted and Yuuki stopped short. She turned around to see a woman pointing at her. "Guards! The wanted poster girl!"

"You have to be kidding me," she said aloud, baffled at the turn of events. She insisted, "Enough, please! I _can't_ be on a wanted poster…" She trailed off as several men dressed in old-fashion uniforms ran towards her and surrounded her, aiming their long spears at her. She sighed as her face fell, putting her hands up in surrender before they started stabbing. "Listen, there _has_ to be a misunderstanding." She had never been here before!

"We've found her," one of them said as they moved closer to her. She eyed him sharply, tensing up. The officer lifted a paper in her face and she stared at it. Her eyes went wide. It _was_ her… There was something slightly off, but the facial structure and the untamed long hair were the same. _But how-?_ "You're coming with us," another man barked as two of them grabbed her arms roughly.

" _Ow._ " She didn't want to pick a fight, so she directed her irritated look to the ground. "All right, I'm not resisting." They didn't exactly let up on the roughness as they dragged her through the streets towards the largest home she'd seen since the temple in Akebi. She was at least thankful that they were swift so they didn't draw so much attention as to form a crowd.

As they led her onto the grounds of the luxurious manor one guard called, "My lord!" and ran up to the porch as the guards holding her shoved her down, forcing her knees to hit the sand of the garden rather hard. _They're treating me as if I'm dangerous_ , she thought and risked to lift her head. An elder man with receding black hair in a top knot walked forward as the soldier knelt to him. "We've found the girl on the wanted poster," he reported, holding the poster up to him.

Yuuki watched him as he took the poster. He examined the stoic face of the young woman in the poster before lowering it, examining Yuuki's own stoic expression. "Well, well," he smiled smugly as he rolled up the paper. "It's the girl from the wanted poster."

"That _isn't_ me," She insisted firmly. Still smiling the old lord raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed, knowing it was pointless at this point, but continued, "Please, you have me confused with someone else. There's no possible way my face would be on any posters, I'm new to this region. Just look at my clothes," she straightened her back to show off her uniform. "I've just arrived to these parts yesterday."

He frowned at her, not liking her point. "Well, you're right, your clothes are strange." She sweat dropped. "But for some reason Kagura wants us to capture you."

Yuuki narrowed her eyes. " _Kagura?_ I have no idea who that is."

"You wouldn't know her," he replied gruffly, crossing his arms behind his back. "She's a messenger from the castle."

Yuuki frowned resisting a tch. _What in the world does a_ castle _want with me?_ "Well then, she has the wrong person," she said, acting gruff right back. This man and this situation were getting on her nerves really quickly.

"Are you insane?" He questioned angrily. "The messenger made a mistake? No way. Impossible!"

"You people aren't very open minded are you?" Yuuki snapped annoyed.

A guard grabbed her roughly by the collar of her shirt and she winced, but glared through the sharp pain. "Watch yourself," he ordered.

"Take this girl away to the jail," the lord commanded, gesturing them to leave. "You can wait there until Kagura arrives and speak with her then."

Though her tongue was feeling particularly sharp, she decided to keep her mouth shut as they unkindly dragged her away. The guards brought her around and threw her in a stone cell, making sure she fell and hit the ground. "Behave yourself until Kagura gets here," one ordered as the other locked the cell.

She glared at them, but remained on the ground until they walked away disappearing around the corner. After that she got off the ground and dusted herself off, looking around the cell. She couldn't begin to wonder what in the world was going on this town. She went up to the cell bars and grabbed them, peering out around the garden of the manor. She spotted a guard approaching and quickly backed away. As he passed he gave her the stink eye which she returned with a cold stare. He continued on and she then examined the cell. "No way am I sticking around for Kagura," she said to herself.

She needed to find Kagome and Inuyasha quickly. She felt around the stone walls, hoping there was a hidden switch or perhaps a fake piece of wall. As her hands pressed against the cool stone, one of the lumps of cobble broke away. She narrowed her eyes and groped around the rock, breaking more of the stone away. _It's weak._ Yuuki closed her eyes and extended her senses through her Seishin. If Kakuju could do it, then she could at least sense if anyone was nearby. The coast seemed clear, so she backed away from the wall and pulled off her rosary. She then tossed it in the air and clapped her hands. The beads shot out on command and bombarded the weak structure, destroying it and leaving a hole in the wall. She caught her rosary and winced at the ruckus it made, but didn't waste any time slipping through the hole.

She kept close to the wall, frantically looking around in search of guards. Thankfully her Seishin didn't lead her wrong and didn't spot anyone. She made a break for it and ran for the wall that enclosed the compound. She jumped and kicked off a decorative garden rock, grabbing onto the top of the wall. Yuuki quickly glanced around, spotting guards walking away from her. She pulled herself up and jumped down the other side, running in the opposite direction.

Making it back to the city she had to weave around pedestrians, avoiding eye contact with anyone as she kept her eyes peeled for more guards. She paused by a wall, seeing a poster of herself, and tore it from the wall, stuffing it in her pocket. Without a hitch she ran back to the meeting place huffing, seeing everyone else already gathered there. Kagome looked over at her and smiled, "Yuuki! You're back!"

"What took you so long?" Inuyasha asked as she ran up to them.

Still panting, she took out the poster and held it up for them. "Seen these?"

"Yeah, they were posted everywhere!" Shippo replied. "I was getting worried."

"Why are there wanted posters of you here?" Kagome asked confused.

"I don't know," Yuuki replied, crumpling it up and tossing it aside. "But the guards got me for a moment and took me to the Headman's house to jail. I tried to convince them it wasn't me, but obviously that didn't work."

"Well I'm glad you're safe now," Kagome said as she eyed the crumpled poster worried.

Yuuki took a breath and then crossed her arms, calming down. "Some woman named Kagura brought them here. Apparently she's under the impression she knows me."

"What?" Inuyasha suddenly perked up at the name. "Kagura!?"

Shippo looked up at him wide eyed. "Do you think it could be _that_ Kagura?"

Yuuki furrowed her brows feeling annoyed at the vagueness. "If you mean by 'that' Kagura as in the 'castle messenger' Kagura, then yes," she replied. "Not that I know of any castles around here," she added annoyed under her breath.

"Yuuki," she looked over at Kagome's serious stare. "Do you remember the demon Naraku I told you about? On the way to Akebi?"

Yuuki hesitated, but then nodded. "You didn't tell me much, but yes. The evil demon that's after the shards?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Kagura is one of Naraku's female incarnations."

"She's a wind sorceress that possesses the dead to do her bidding," Inuyasha quickly added heatedly, fired up by the mention of her. "She's disgusting."

Yuuki shook her head. "Wait a minute," she put her hands up. "Slow down and roll back. Just 'one of' his incarnations? You're saying that this Naraku can _create_ other beings?"

Kagome nodded regretfully. "That's how powerful he's become. He holds most of the jewel shards after all."

Yuuki stared at her for a moment. She then pinched the bridge of her nose. "So you're telling me a powerful evil demon's incarnation is handing out wanted posters of me."

Kagome furrowed her brows up and put her hands up. "Yuuki, please calm down…"

"Oh, I'm calm," she replied and dropped her arm, staring with a harsh and cold gaze. "I'm calm and pissed off. I was just thrown in jail for no reason other than this Naraku wants to give me a bad day."

"It must be because of you coming to our world," Shippo said below her. "It sounds like something he would do."

"Well, this Sorceress Kagura is supposed to be on her way to get me," Yuuki said.

"Then we might as well wait until she shows up," Inuyasha said.

"Except I escaped from my cell," she added. "If I'm not here then she'll leave."

Kagome brought a hand to her chin and thought for a moment. "Well then, why don't we take you back?" They all stared at her and she explained, "We'll get Headman's good graces if we turn you in, and Kagura is sure to show up. If we're at the manor then we can ambush her."

"Hey," Inuyasha smiled at her. "That's a great idea!"

Yuuki eyed him suspiciously. "You sound too happy."

"Come on!" He grabbed her arm roughly with a smile on his face. She yelped in protest as he dragged her behind him. "We're taking you in, fugitive!"

Yuuki grabbed his wrist and tried to free herself desperately. She glared at him angrily with a blush, her heels digging into the dirt. "Inuyasha!" she shouted in a warning tone as he easily dragged her behind him. "I don't like to be man-handled!"

Kagome sweat dropped as she followed. "Inuyasha…"

Shippo jumped to her shoulder and stared at them in interest. "Inuyasha seems to be having too much fun."

"Yes, and it seems he forgot how dangerous this can be," she added in annoyance.

Inuyasha dragged her through the city, ignoring the strange stares they received, and walked right up to the Headman's house. A guard quickly stopped him and shouted, "Hey! This is the house of the village headman. What do you want?"

"What do you idiot guards think you're doing!?" Inuyasha barked right back. The man blinked at him and the girl that was still struggling to get her arm free. "We caught the girl on the wanted poster that **you** let escape and came to turn her in again."

"Let me go, dammit!" Yuuki shouted at him, her hair flying out.

"I see…" He glanced between them a little unsure, but nodded. "She is the girl from the posters. Come inside and wait by the white sand." He stepped aside to let them through. Inuyasha walked inside, dragging the stubborn Yuuki along. Kagome and Shippo flashed awkward smiles at the guard before quickly following after them.

"Well, that was easy," Kagome commented once they were out of earshot.

"Great acting, you guys!" Shippo smiled at them.

They both quickly looked over at him, Inuyasha confused, and Yuuki annoyed, as they both said, "We're not acting." They then looked at each other, Inuyasha blinking at her and her staring at him flatly, her face going red in frustration. "You're blushing."

"Quit pointing that out!" She snapped, resuming her fruitless struggle to be free.

Kagome sighed, but smiled at their bickering. She then blinked, hearing a strange sound. Alarmed she said, "Shh! Can you hear that?" They paused and glanced around.

They could hear the sound of a faint buzz. Shippo looked up and gasped. "There!" He pointed up and they followed his gaze, seeing a large wasp flying away.

Kagome gasped as well. "Saimyosho!"

"Saimyosho?" Yuuki questioned confused, staring at the wasp. "It looks like a giant wasp."

"Saimyosho are Naraku's eyes and ears," Inuyasha said as he released her, causing her to stumble back. "If they're here then Kagura is, too."

"Which means we've probably already been found out," Shippo added sadly.

Suddenly, four demons dressed in monk clothing slammed in the ground, surrounding them. They quickly faced them back to back, Inuyasha smirking and Yuuki quickly gathering herself. "Even a welcoming committee?" She questioned, taking off her rosary.

Inuyasha flexed his clawed hand, cracking his knuckled. "Bring it on!" He jumped out and scratched at one of the demons shouting, " _Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!_ "

Yuuki whipped out at the demons and cut through two of them easily. Shippo jumped up and shouted, " _Smashing Top!_ " His top toy blew up in size and pinned down the last demon.

"Come on, we have to find Kagura," Kagome said and took off with Shippo.

Yuuki and Inuyasha quickly followed after her, running around the manor. "Help me!" A man called out.

Yuuki knit her brows together and said, "That sounded like the headman." They ran around a corner and stopped short, seeing the Headman cornered by two of the salamander monk demons. She smirked at his helplessness and lashed out at the demons, killing them before his eyes. She then ran up to him followed by the others. "You okay, Headman?" she asked, putting a hand on her hip with a frown.

He stared at her in surprise. "Y-you saved me?" He then bowed at the waist. "Thank you so much. I don't deserve your kindness."

"No, you don't," she agreed.

Kagome stepped beside her and frowned at her. "Yuuki!"

Yuuki sighed and closed her eyes. "But don't worry about it. So, what happened around here?"

"I was tricked by that Kagura woman," he replied bitterly, standing upright again. "I had no idea the castle's messenger was a demon. After she arrived and you weren't here she attacked us for wasting her time."

"Where is she now?" Inuyasha demanded.

"She's just ahead," he quickly replied, gesturing behind him inside the manor. "She tried to feed me to the demons!"

"Quickly! Let's go!" Inuyasha jumped up on the porch and ran inside, followed by Yuuki.

"Get somewhere safe and hide," Kagome instructed the Headman and ran after them.

They ran into the manor as Inuyasha followed Kagura's scent. It was easy enough to find her in one of the back rooms. "Found you, Kagura," he said as they gathered in the room.

Yuuki stood beside him and stared at the Kagura woman with her back to them. She wore a magenta and white kimono with a yellow obi, her brown hair tied up and decorated with feathers. She turned around, revealing red eyes and holding a fan. "I _thought_ I heard a ruckus," she said in a husky voice. "It was you guys."

"So, you're Kagura," Yuuki said as she eyed her up and down. "Why are you trying to capture me?"

Kagura eyed her back with a smile. "So, you're the girl…"

She narrowed her eyes, wondering what scheme was going on. "I only have one question for you," she said and held her rosary up to her. "Was Naraku the one to summon me to this world?"

"What of it?" She questioned, acting coy as she hid behind her fan.

Yuuki glared coolly. "Because I'm going to force you to send me back if you are."

"Send you back?" She echoed as if interested. "Now why would we do that?"

"You're useless as always!" Inuyasha barked and drew his sword, transforming it into the giant glaive. "I'm going to cut you to shreds once and for all!"

Kagura glanced at him, her amusement gone. "As always, you're such a mutt," she murmured. With a shout she waved her fan, " _Dance of Blades!_ "

The wind kicked up and blades materialized out of the air and flew at them at amazing speed. Kagome quickly picked up Shippo and held him close to her to protect him, but Inuyasha jumped in Kagome's way to protect them both, getting cut in the sides. "Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed.

In short thought panic, Yuuki ran in the opposite direction and a blade cut through her shoulder. She cried out as blood flew and stumbled to the ground. Inuyasha wiped the blood from his side and shouted, " _Blades of Blood!_ " He flung back his own red blades, but demons charged into the room from the side doors, taking the blow for the smirking Kagura.

Sweating and struggling, Yuuki clung onto her limp injured arm as she glared at Kagura furious. Once the demons were destroyed and there was an opening, she used her rage and lashed out at Kagura with her rosary. Kagura glanced at her unworried. The rosary collided with a barrier that became visible. "A barrier!" Shippo exclaimed. The contact from the rosary created a small crack that only Kagura noticed. Her eyes widened in shock, her calm demeanor faltering. "Now how in the world was she able to do that," she murmured to herself.

Suddenly there was a flash of white that engulfed the room. Shippo screamed in Kagome's arms, startling her. "Shippo!" Nearly blinded, Yuuki looked from them over to Inuyasha, seeing him baring his teeth in pain. _What is this light?_ _What is this sensation?_ The light went away and Kagura was startled. "Utsugi?" She questioned.

Inuyasha quickly turned around, seeing Kagome on her knees still holding Shippo. "Are you guys okay!?"

Kagome looked up at him and nodded, "I'm fine."

She frowned down at the struggling Shippo, but he forced out, "I'm okay, too...!"

"What the hell was that?" Inuyasha murmured as he and Yuuki looked behind them confused.

Yuuki's eyes widened, seeing a person approach. They wore a red and white kimono with their face hidden behind a smiling oni mask, having long blonde hair brushed back reaching their lower back. Kagura chuckled and Yuuki glanced back at her, seeing her smile slyly. "Seems Naraku sent someone to help me."

Inuyasha pointed his sword at the one named Utsugi threateningly and warned, "You'll be sorry if you get in my way."

They stopped not too far from Kagome. She stared up at them strangely for a moment, sensing something odd before standing and hurrying by Inuyasha's side. "Be careful, Inuyasha. I don't think this is your typical demon."

"It isn't," Yuuki confirmed and they glanced over at her. She was holding her bloodied shoulder with her rosary in hand, staring at the newcomer intently. "I may not be an expert on demons, but I don't think they can wield Seishin power. Don't ask how I know, but that was it and it was definitely stronger than mine."

The mask turned to stare at Yuuki, making her tense. It was intimidating with its wide eyes piercing hers. "Your wound… It's beautiful," Utsugi said in a woman's matured voice, making Yuuki's eyes widen. "It's like the setting sun." Yuuki felt disturbed.

"I don't care what it is," Inuyasha replied as he glared at the masked woman. "I'll destroy anything that gets in my way."

"You're wasting your time," Utsugi said facing him, sounding devoid of emotion.

Yuuki's eyes narrowed, but Inuyasha swung his blade shouting, " _Wind Scar!_ " The attack raced at the woman in five streaks of light, but the attack was easily repelled by another barrier. The four of them gasped as Kagura slyly hid behind her fan smiling. "Damn," Inuyasha growled, holding his sword up defensively.

"Now it's my turn," Utsugi declared.

She raised her hand towards him and it shone brightly in a white light. The light shot at him and engulfed him, making him shout in pain. "Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted desperately. Yuuki stared in shock, unable to utter a sound. She could feel the power behind the attack, and being just next to it felt overwhelming.

The attack finished and Utsugi dropped her arm. Inuyasha fell to his knee, digging his sword into the ground to force himself to stay up. Shippo jumped out of Kagome's arms a she ran to him, kneeling beside him worried. He lifted his head and strained to glare at Utsugi, one of his eyes forced shut from the effort. "Just a scratch…"

"You…" Utsugi turned to stare at Yuuki while Inuyasha glanced. He could see her staring in utter shock. "That power… Who are you…?"

"So you're the girl," Utsugi murmured. She then faced Kagura and said, "Kagura, I've completed my mission. I'm leaving."

Kagura frowned at her in annoyance. "Fine."

Utsugi turned and walked away, but Yuuki shouted, "Hey-Wait-!" A harsh wind whipped around the room, causing them to flinch. Forcing her eyes open she witnessed Kagura flying out of the room on a giant feather. Once they were gone the wind died down. Yuuki struggled to keep her eyes open until finally her legs gave away.

"Yuuki!"


	4. Welcome to the Family

"Oh no, Yuuki!" Shippo rushed over to her side and stared up at her concerned, seeing her holding her shoulder wound. The blood was overflowing her hand and rosary, staining her clothes. She was pale and sweating, panting hard as she stared blankly at the floor. He turned to Kagome and Inuyasha, "She's lost a lot of blood."

"Hold on," Kagome hurried to her side and set down her quiver and bow to bring around her backpack. Shippo backed away beside Inuyasha to give them room, watching in worry. Inuyasha sheathed his sword and sat down, resting as he glared at the ground. Utsugi was so powerful- it frustrated him that they got away. "Stay with me, Yuuki," Kagome said urgently and he glanced over.

Yuuki's gaze was turning dull as Kagome pulled her sleeve down, wiping the blood away from her wound. "I'm fine…" She replied weakly, struggling to keep her eyes open. While her body was on fire with searing pain before, she was becoming oddly numb now.

Kagome quickly applied gauze to the wound and pressed clean pads to it. She was focused as she brought out medical tape, strapping the pads down around her shoulder expertly with little room. "There," she pushed her bloodied sleeve back up and then rummaged through her backpack again. She got a water bottle and opened it for her saying, "Drink this: you need fluids back." She held it to Yuuki's lips and slowly helped her drink.

Inuyasha stared back at the doors, seeing the Headman approach with a smile. "You defeated them!" He celebrated with arms wide, ignoring or oblivious to the scene.

"Are you blind!?" Inuyasha barked at him. "They just ran away!"

The Headman stopped short and looked around, seeing the wounded Yuuki being tended to and Inuyasha injured, Shippo with a sad, worried look on his face. He then frowned saying, "Oh. I'm so sorry for what happened to you."

Kagome glanced back at him with a weak smile. "It's all right, Headman. Kagura and Utsugi are the evil ones."

Yuuki brought a hand up and pushed the watch bottle away gently. She sighed in satisfaction, needing that water. "She's right," she said to Kagome's surprise. She looked over at the Headman and added, "You didn't know any better."

He bowed to her respectfully. "Not only are you forgiving, but you saved my life. You are an angel."

Yuuki have him a strange look. Shippo put his hands behind his head and smiled, saying for Yuuki, "I think that's taking it a little too far."

"Oh, come on," Kagome smiled at her. "You really are kind."

Yuuki closed her eyes. If she had the blood still her face possibly would've turned red from embarrassment. "Anyways," she said, changing the subject. "From what Kagura and Utsugi were saying it seems there's a connection between Naraku and me being brought to this world." Her fist tightened in frustration, but her grip was weak. "They were _right there,_ but I didn't get anywhere closer to getting home."

"Yuuki, don't stress yourself," Kagome said as she gently placed a hand on her good shoulder. "I can guarantee there will be another chance."

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed as he stood up. "No doubt Naraku won't be leaving us alone. Especially since he's out looking to capture you."

Yuuki struggled to stand and Kagome helped pull her up to her feet. "Please," the Headman said, gaining their attention. "You're wounded. Rest here for the night so you can recover. It's the least I can do for how I treated you earlier."

Yuuki closed her eyes and shook her head. "Sorry, but we're on a mission."

"We should head back to Kaede's Village for now," Kagome said, putting back on her backpack and weapon. "Thank you, though, Headman," she added politely as she slung Yuuki's good arm around her shoulder.

"Of course," He bowed to them as they walked out of his manor.

* * *

By the time they made it back to Kaede's Village the evening crows were cawing. Yuuki was fine enough to walk on her own, her bloodied shirt now dry and crusted. As they entered the village Shippo exclaimed from Inuyasha's shoulder, "Oh!"

Yuuki looked up as Kagome waved, "Sango! Miroku! You're back!"

She blinked and from over their shoulders could see a man in purple monk clothing holding a golden staff and a woman with long brown hair carrying a giant boomerang on her back. The two turned and smiled at them in greeting. "Hey, Kagome!" Miroku greeted back cheerfully.

"We just got back," Sango explained as they walked up.

"That sure took you a while," Inuyasha complained as he crossed his arms.

"Don't say that, Inuyasha," Miroku replied, unbothered by his attitude. "We went through a lot, too!" He then paused and stared in surprise, making eye contact with Yuuki behind them. "Hey, who is that?" He asked, pointing at her.

Kagome only smiled as she and Inuyasha stepped out of her way, allowing Miroku and Sango to see her fully. Miroku was shocked while Sango gasped, "You're wounded!"

"She's fine," Inuyasha brushed off and Yuuki shot him a tired glare.

"This is my friend Fujiwara Yuuki," Kagome explained, "She's from my time. There's a lot to go over. Yuuki, these are my friends Sango and Miroku," she introduced, gesturing to them. There was a meow and Yuuki looked down to see a small kitten with two tails staring up at her. "And that's Sango's companion Kirara, " she added.

"What happened to your shoulder?" Miroku asked as he approached her.

Yuuki looked down at her shoulder frustrated. "We had a run in with Kagura and a woman named Utsugi in Kasasagi Village. I got hit by Kagura's attack, but Kagome patched me up." Just the thought of that Kagura woman set a fire inside Yuuki. She sighed, ignoring it, and looked back at them asking, "So, you two appear human. What are your occupations?"

"I am a monk," Miroku replied with a bow of his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And I'm a Demon Slayer," Sango replied. She then stared at them regretful saying, "So, you had a run in with Kagura, huh?"

"Unfortunately," Kagome replied with a nod. "Yuuki's a little obsessed with her now."

"Yuuki may not seem strong," Shippo piped up, gaining their attention, "But she knows the mysterious Seishin powers! She can fight really well; I've seen it!"

Miroku hummed in curiosity, staring at her in interest. "Seishin powers?" Yuuki blinked at he moved closer to her, Inuyasha giving him a suspicious glare. "Excuse me, Yuuki?"

She knit her brows together and stared him up and down, leaning away from his closeness. "…Yeah?"

He set his staff against his shoulder to take her hands into his. He gazed deeply into her eyes, making her blush, and asked, "Would you do me the honor of bearing my children?"

Her face went beet red, staring at him wide eyed and frozen for a moment. "I-I don't- that's not- I..." She was at a loss for words.

"Miroku!" Kagome scolded.

"Don't take him seriously," Shippo said and she glanced at him. "He says the same thing to all the girls."

"Excuse me," Sango cut in coldly. Miroku froze as Yuuki slipped from his grasp backing away. "Miroku," she glared at him with a dangerous aura flaring around her. "Shouldn't we tell them what we found out?"

"Oh! Right," Miroku backed away and ignored the fact she was glaring daggers at him.

"Did you find out where Naraku is?" Inuyasha asked.

"We didn't find out anything specific," he replied. "But there are a lot of strange things happening in the castle."

"What kind?" Yuuki quickly asked, her blush slowly fading away.

He looked over at her surprised. "Oh, are you interested, too?"

"Yes," she nodded, her expression turning serious. "It appears Naraku is responsible for bringing me into this time, though I don't know how."

"Well, from what we heard," Miroku began to explain, "all the cows on the castle grounds have disappeared. And all the people who've gone to pay their taxes have never come back."

"We witnessed a whole bunch of demons heading towards the castle with our own eyes," Sango added.

"This stinks of Naraku," Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms.

Yuuki held her shoulder and shifted her weight on her feet feeling anxious. "So, where is the castle?"

"From here, it's best to head through Tsuzumi Village," Miroku replied.

"Well then, our first step is to head there," Yuuki said to Inuyasha and he nodded back in agreement.

Shippo sweat dropped at their behavior. "A guess a common enemy brings people together."

"I guess so," Kagome agreed, smiling at them.

Miroku slumped over suddenly appearing exhausted. "We just got back and now we're heading out again already?"

Yuuki glanced at him, putting a hand on her hip. "Oh, right, you just got back. You must be tired."

Miroku suddenly perked up to Sango's annoyance. Giving his most handsome smile he said, "Thank you for your concern, Yuuki. You're very kind."

Despite the flat glare she gave him, she still blushed. "Aren't monks supposed to be sworn off or something?"

"Now, now," he said as he walked closer to her, "No need to be shy."

She leaned away from him, her skin prickling furiously. "Believe me, monk, it isn't like that," she insisted in a warning tone.

Miroku took a step closer, but suddenly Sango's boomerang slammed down on his head, sending him face first into the ground. Yuuki stared down at his twitching body for a moment and then looked over at Sango, seeing her tick mark throbbing on her head. "Miroku, you're very tired. I think you need to go lie down for a moment," she said.

"I… Think you're right…" he muffled into the ground, a large lump forming on his head.

"Come on, Yuuki," Kagome said as she took her hand. "I'll give you my change of clothes and wash the blood out of yours."

She gave a tired smile at her friend and nodded. "Thank you, Kagome." Inuyasha dragged Miroku across the dirt by his foot as he followed the girls back to Kaede's hut.

* * *

Yuuki was slow to wake, her mind feeling foggy. She peeked her eyes open to see an unfamiliar ceiling, cherry blossom petals dancing on the breeze over her head. _Where am I...?_ Slowly she rolled over, her body feeling like lead. There was someone standing across the room. Yuuki's eyes trailed from their feet to their head, seeing it was a priestess with long black hair. The woman had a haze around her, and she looked at Yuuki with piercing silver eyes. "You're still here."

Yuuki slowly blinked. "I..." She tried to speak, but her throat was thick and the words struggled to come out. _Who is she...? Am I dreaming...?_ Her eyes trailed down to her chest, spotting the blue pearl hanging from black string.

The woman quickly covered it with her hand and glared at her. "It's dangerous for you to be here. Return to your time."

"I... I can't..."

The priestess narrowed her eyes. There was a sound of a sliding door opening and Yuuki looked over.

* * *

Yuuki jumped awake in cold sweat, the frightening image of Utsugi's mask still burned into her mind. "Yuuki? Are you all right?" Yuuki quickly turned her head to see Sango sitting, wiping her boomerang in her lap with a cloth. There was a mewl and she glanced beside her, seeing Kirara sitting next to her, staring back with intelligent eyes.

Yuuki closed her eyes and swallowed, trying to calm herself. "Yeah… Just haven't been sleeping very well." She slowly forced herself to sit up and looked around. It was empty besides for her and Sango. _I can't really remember my dream again._ Every time she woke, however, she had an ominous feeling. "Where is everyone?" She asked.

"We decided to take the day off today since you weren't waking up," she replied with a smile. "I volunteered to watch you while the others split into groups."

"I see…" Yuuki glanced beside her, seeing her torn uniform folded next to her. She stood and changed out of Kagome's pajama's, putting her uniform back on. She examined her sleeve; it sewn back together.

"Kaede mended your clothes for you," Sango explained and Yuuki looked at her. "Kagome also changed your bandages while you were sleeping."

"Oh, wow," she frowned at her shoulder sadly. "That was kind of them." It ached something fierce, and the pain only reminded her of Kagura's stupid face. She wanted to repay that woman. Now she was more useless than before with her wound.

"I'm sorry for Miroku yesterday," Sango apologized, snapping her back to reality. Yuuki sat back down and looked over at her, seeing her furiously work on her weapon. "He may be a monk, but he's a lecher."

"So long as you're not upset with me, I'm fine."

"Huh?" Sango was snapped out of her fury, staring at her confused. "Why would I be upset with you?"

"Well, you like him, right?" She asked and Sango went a little red in the face. Yuuki blinked, and then went a little red herself, putting her hands up. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to be so blunt! You see, a friend of mine brought to my attention how unobservant I can be about those types of things, and I guess it got the better of me and I was trying to see if I noticed- I'm so sorry that I was terribly rude of me! My exhaustions just put me in rare form." Yuuki felt like a fool and now found herself rambling. She couldn't remember a time she'd been so flustered.

Kirara tilted her head up at Sango as she stared down at her weapon, her face turning a dark shade of red. "I-it's fine, no need to apologize," she replied and resumed polishing her boomerang furiously.

Kirara watched as both girls sat in an awkward silence, their faces red. Yuuki glanced at her and then her boomerang. She cleared her throat, "So, what is that thing?" She asked, gesturing to it.

"This is Hiraikotsu," Sango replied and held it up for her to show. "It's made of the bones of demons."

Yuuki nodded, understanding. "Slaying demons with the bones of their kin. A little morbid, but what isn't I suppose." She then nodded over to Kirara and asked, "And so Kirara is...?"

"She's my companion since I was a child," Sango pet her and she closed her eyes purring. "She's a nekomata demon. She fights alongside me in battles. When she fights she can transform to a larger size and has the ability of flight."

"Well," Yuuki smiled at the cat, "That's very impressive. I look forward to witnessing that."

"Is that Yuuki?" Kagome asked as she walked into the hut. They looked over at her, seeing her holding a basket of vegetables. She smiled, seeing her friend up and said, "Hey, you're awake! Are you feeling all right?"

"A little stiff," she replied, trying to rotate her shoulder. "But other than that I'm fine. Thank you for washing my clothes," she added as she stood.

"It was no problem," Kagome replied as she set the basket down. She fished out a yellow apron from her backpack and asked, "Do you want to help me with the cooking?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

Sango looked back at them and asked, "What are you guys making?"

"We haven't been eating well lately," Kagome explained as Yuuki took a potato and began peeling it. "I thought we could make some bento boxes for the trip tomorrow to Tsuzumi Village."

"That's a good idea," Sango smiled. She then turned to face them, continuing to polish her weapon as Kagome and Yuuki cooked food.

Kaede then entered her hut and smiled at them. "Ah, Yuuki, you're awake."

Yuuki glanced at her and nodded politely. "Afternoon, Kaede. Thank you for mending my clothes."

She smiled, "It was no problem, child. What are ye making?" She asked as she approached.

"Bento boxes for the travel tomorrow," Sango replied for them.

"Ye are all traveling tomorrow?" Kaede questioned. "In that case," they paused and watched her walk over to her dresser. "I don't want to be adding to your baggage, but ye should take this," Yuuki set down her knife and took the clothes Kaede handed to her. "They are from when I was younger, so they should fit ye."

Yuuki held out the clothes in mild surprise. "They're… Priestess clothing."

"A haori and hakama," Kagome clarified. "You should accept them, Yuuki. It's a long journey and we don't know how long your uniform is going to hold out."

It wasn't like she hadn't worn them before, but it still felt strange. Not only did it give her déjà vu from her foggy dream, but she was also a full fledge priestess now. She had special powers after all, and her purifying ability would do it if nothing else. She smiled and bowed to Kaede saying, "Thank you."

"Consider them yours now," Kaede replied. "Now, since ye girls are already cooking ye can start dinner as well. I'm going to go relax."

Yuuki smiled at the old woman as she left. After finishing up the bento boxes they got started on dinner, using what was left over. Once the boys returned they ate and then rested, and then the next morning they set out to the east for Tsuzumi Village. Hawks called out as they circled in the morning sky, the group walking along the trails through the forest. Along the journey they were approaching some monk statues for travelers to pray at. Yuuki perked up, seeing an old man with a cane standing at them. "Grandpa Kakuju?" She called out.

"Kakuju?" Sango questioned curious and Yuuki ran ahead.

"He's an old Priest that taught Yuuki how to use her Seishin powers," Kagome explained to her.

The group walked calmly after her as she ran up to the old man. She smiled at him as he turned to her, feeling happy to see him. "Hey, Grandpa."

"Ah, Yuuki," he said as she stopped at him. "I'm glad I ran into you so soon. There was something I wanted to give you, and I'm sure that monk will be able to help you use it."

Yuuki tilted her head a little as he rummaged in his kimono. The group paused and Miroku walked up next to her, curious as well. When Kakuju pulled it out he questioned, "A talisman?"

"Yes," Kakuju nodded and handed it to Yuuki. "You can channel your powers through your rosary to fight. But if you channel your powers through this then you can help others fight as well."

"I see," Miroku brought a hand to his chin as Yuuki examined it. "So with that she can combine her powers with one of us to amplify the attack."

"Precisely," Kakuju nodded. "Now, you have a long journey ahead of you. You should get going."

"Thank you, Grandpa Kakuju," Yuuki smiled and tucked the talisman away in her skirt pocket. "See you soon."

He nodded again and went to leave, but paused. "Yuuki, have you been getting much sleep? You appear tired."

"Oh," Yuuki lightly touched under her eye where she was sure a dark bag was. "Well, sort of. I've been having odd dreams."

Kakuju hummed. He moved closer and guided her away a little from her friends. He said in a low tone, "I would suggest meditation. It will clear your mind and strengthen your bond with the Seishin. It will also help you sort out the presence looming over you."

Yuuki frowned at him. "Presence?" She questioned.

Kakuju nodded, seeing as clearly as she could see him a shadow looming over her. "There appears to be a connection between you and another with spiritual powers. Do not be alarmed, it doesn't appear hostile. However it's very irritable."

"Oh..." She nodded, feeling unsure. "All right." With that Kakuju bid the group farewell.

"What was that about?" Kagome asked as they resumed walking.

Yuuki wasn't exactly sure how to explain it herself. "He was just giving me a meditation tip," she replied.

They continued traveling until about noon when they stopped at a bridge going over a river for a small break. Kagome passed out the bento boxes they made yesterday and began eating their lunch. "This is delicious!" Miroku said as he sat too close to Yuuki. She closed her eyes and focused on eating her food, her tick mark obvious to everyone else. "Yuuki, did you say you made this?" He asked her.

Yuuki swallowed and then replied coldly, "I said I helped Kagome make it. I didn't do much." She then resumed her eating.

Kagome looked from him over to Sango sadly. She sat further away from the group and ate with Kirara. Shippo looked over as well and said, "He's such an idiot."

"If he doesn't back off then Yuuki's gonna throttle him for Sango," Inuyasha added as he ate his bento box behind them.

"Shall I teach you how to use the talisman while we're resting?" Miroku asked Yuuki.

"No." He turned dejected as she continued to eat.

The travel was a little more strained after that. Yuuki kept close to Kagome in the front with Inuyasha behind them, blocking off Miroku and leaving him to fend for himself as he walked with the still furious Sango. They made it to the more mountainous region as they passed the wooden post reading 'Tsuzumi Village'.

"Finally," Shippo said in relief. "We made it."

"Help!" A man shouted followed by the roar of a demon. The group braced themselves, seeing an old man running towards them with several flying skeletal demons chasing after him. "Help me!"

"Old man!" Sango shouted, "Get behind us! Quickly!" The man didn't have to be told twice.

As he hid behind the group the demons stopped short, the front one glaring at them. "Out of our way!" It rasped, "Or else I'll eat you, too!"

"Let's see you try!" Inuyasha shouted back, raising his clawed hand.

The demons flew at them and Sango shouted, " _Hiraikotsu!_ " She swung her massive boomerang like it was nothing, flying thorough the air in a tight arc obliterating the demons one by one. Yuuki stared in surprise as Sango caught her weapon one handed and swung left and right, deftly destroying the remaining demons.

"Wow, Sango," Sango looked back at Yuuki's surprised expression. "You're powerful." The bones of the demons were nothing but dust that blew away in the wind.

Sango blinked at her and then smiled bashfully. "It was nothing, really. I owe it to practice." Perhaps, yet Yuuki suddenly felt her efforts weren't worth much. _If I'm to be of any help to them I'll need to get better._

"That was not nothing!" The old man said and they all tuned to him. He smiled and bowed to them. "Thank you for saving my life. My name is Densuke." He stood upright and then frowned. "This area has become so dangerous. I went out to do some shopping for the festival and all of a sudden I was being chased. I didn't know what was going to become of me."

"Well, you're lucking we ran into you," Inuyasha said.

"We're glad you're okay," Kagome quickly added for him.

"Thank you so much for helping me," Densuke said as he bowed again. "You must be in the middle of traveling, but it's getting late. If you would like, you can stay at my home tonight. It's the least I can do in return for saving my life. You're very welcome to stay there."

"It would be rude of us to refuse," Miroku replied and Yuuki shot him a look.

With his perverse attitude it was hard for her to trust him. "Miroku," she warned.

"It _would_ be nice to sleep in a real bed," Kagome added and Yuuki looked over at her disappointed.

"Well, if you've made your decision, then come with me," Densuke said and led them into Tsuzumi Village. His hut wasn't much different than Kaede's when they entered it. He gestured around and said, "This is my home. It's not much, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. The rest of the highway is blocked anyway."

Inuyasha and Yuuki both perked up at that. "You mean the highway that goes to the castle?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yes, all this heavy rainfall caused a big landslide. So we can't use the highway now."

"That's unfortunate," Kagome murmured sadly.

"We're unlucky," Miroku agreed, but with a smile on his face.

Shippo shot him a suspicious glare. "You look pretty happy though, Miroku."

"No, not at all," he said shaking his head. His smile died down once he was caught, but there was a mischievous glint in his eye. "Anyway, are there any young maidens in the village?"

Densuke only gave him a confused look. "What?"

"Now I get it," Inuyasha murmured, shooting him the stink eye.

"Some monk," Yuuki grumbled with him, crossing her arms. "He's such an unattractive pervert…"

"What was that?" Miroku asked hopefully, smiling as he glided over to Yuuki.

She gave him a cold stare and Sango's angry look slid in between her and Miroku, preventing him from getting closer. "She called you unattractive and a pervert," she snapped. "And I agree with her."

Miroku backed off with a frown. "You're so harsh, Sango." She marched off passed him and he called after her, "Wait, where are you going?"

She stopped short at the door and glared back at him replying, "If we're going to be here for a while; I'm going to go see if I can find any information about the castle."

After she left it was quiet for a moment. Densuke then inquired, "I hate to be nosey, but is she a Demon Slayer? Her weapon is unique and I haven't seen skills such as hers in a long time."

"Yes, she is," Miroku answered.

He was surprised. "Such a rarity. Since that incident, we don't see them anymore."

Yuuki glanced at him confused. "Incident? What are you talking about?" She figured Demon Slayers would be common given the local wildlife.

"There once was a Demon Slayer Village," Kagome began to explain. "Everyone in that village was trained to become professional Demon Slayers." She became sad. "Through trickery, Naraku completely destroyed the village. Her friends and family were all wiped out; the only survivors being Sango and her younger brother, but her brother was taken by Naraku."

Yuuki was suddenly humbled, letting Sango's history sink in. Inuyasha growled in his corner, "Damn Naraku…" She glanced over at Miroku, seeing his angered expression gazing at the ground.

"I assume it's best not to bring it up in front of her," she said and Kagome nodded.

"I will go make your beds," Densuke said quietly and went into the back room.

The group idly sat around as the sun set outside, waiting for Sango to return. Yuuki took the time to practice meditation like Kakuju said, however it wasn't so easy to tune out Inuyasha and Shippo bickering. Densuke was kind enough to make them dinner and Kagome took the time to change Yuuki's bandages. Examining them she said, "You're going to have a pretty big scar, but it won't be nasty."

Yuuki only shrugged her good shoulder. "I don't really care so long as I have my arm still," she said and then mumbled under her breath, "And give Kagura a matching one."

Once Sango returned she seemed happier, smiling as she announced, "I'm back!"

Miroku was the first to his feet, smiling back at her. "Welcome back, Sango. Did you find out anything?"

Sango then seemed a little befuddled as she replied, "No, actually. I couldn't find very many people here."

"Well, we can't use the highway now, so we might as well take it easy," he said.

"Exactly," Densuke agreed as he came back out to the main room. "Well," he clapped his hands together with a smile. "Your beds are prepared and dinner is ready. Let's eat and then you all get some rest."

"Thank you, Densuke," Kagome said as they sat around the table.

* * *

Yuuki was very confused standing in the middle of a dark forest. Everything appeared a bit hazy as she looked around. "Where am I...?" Surprised, she touched her throat. To her own ears it sounded like her voice was filtered through water. Then she realized her shoulder wasn't hurting, and examining it there wasn't proof of stitching on her school sleeve.

 _Wasn't I in Kagome's pajama's in bed?_ There was a snap and Yuuki looked up. It was brief, but she caught a glimpse of a woman walking by. She gasped, her eyes widening. _It's that priestess!_

The priestess with long black hair and wearing a blue pearl around her neck, the one she had been dreaming of every night. Needing answers, Yuuki ran through the woods- without making a sound oddly enough- and ran out ahead on the forest path to cut her off. She put her hands up, "Please, wait!"

The priestess stopped short, mildly surprised for only a moment before she frowned at her. "So, you've returned again."

Yuuki was able to relax, seeing the woman wasn't going to attack or ignore her. "Who are you? Why do I see you every time I sleep?"

"Who I am is of no concern of yours." The woman moved closer to her and showed a few inches of height different. Looking down at her with her intense stare she spoke quietly, "You must answer my questions. Before you told me you couldn't return to your time. Why?"

"I'm not sure, I'm trying to figure it out myself," she replied, eyeing the priestess skeptically. "A question for a question. Who are you to me? Not that I'm against the idea of going home, but why are you so hell bent that I leave?"

The priestess stared at her for a moment, debating on her answer. "Your presence here is more dangerous than you realize. Just by existing you are a threat to my life."

Yuuki was surprised to hear that. "To your life?"

"My turn. Have you heard of a demon named Naraku?"

Yuuki stared at the woman for a moment. She had no idea what their connection was, but she decided to go over what little information that she knew. The priestess was patient and listened, and once she was finished she said, "I see." She then moved around her and walked on. Yuuki blinked, taken aback for a moment before hurrying after her. The woman then spoke again, "I had a hunch that he would be behind this, though I can't guess for what reason; if it's because of me or if he has another plan all together. I'm currently on my way to the castle he supposedly resides in."

Yuuki knit her brows together. "And do what?"

"You and your friends are fools if you believe you can defeat him without the aid of a powerful priest or priestess." Yuuki was dumbfounded at this woman's audacity as she glanced sideways down at her. "I plan to help you all, if I can make it in time, and find a way to send you back to your time."

Yuuki sighed heavily, a blush dusting her cheeks from her frustration. "Thank you, I suppose. Would you mind telling me who you are? And what our connection is? _Why_ you keep dragging me to you every night? I haven't been getting any actual rest spending time with you."

The priestess came to a stop and Yuuki crossed her arms waiting. She stared out at the distance, mulling over her words in her head. Yuuki watched as she absently fiddled with the blue pearl around her neck. The woman came to a conclusion with a sigh and dropped her arm. "It's not I that is bring you here. There is a tether between us. A spiritual link that drags you out of your own body while you're unconscious. The same tether that connects me to this jewel." Yuuki openly stared at the woman confused, and then glanced at the jewel around her neck. _What in the world is she talking about?_ She turned to her and gained her attention again. "It's the reason why you've connected to your abilities so soon and so effortlessly. You and I share the same soul; I amplify you. We cannot exist on the same plane and I am at risk of death because of it."

Yuuki was stunned. "I..." _Is she saying I'm her_ reincarnation? "How do you know all that for sure?"

"You're here again, aren't you?"

Yuuki blinked. Before she could say anything else, she was suddenly flying, being pulled away and the world blurring around her, and the priestess watched as she went.

* * *

Yuuki slowly opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling of Densuke's hut. She was exhausted to her core, her lack of sleep weighing on her. She remembered that time. Yuuki didn't know if it was because of the meditation or not, but she at least remembered everything.

"You awake?" Inuyasha asked and she rolled her head over, seeing him sitting upright against the wall. He was surprised when he saw her face, "Damn, did you sleep at all? You look awful."

Yuuki was too tired to care. "Do you ever lie down to sleep?" She asked, her voice groggy.

"Not since I was a kid," he replied. Yuuki took off her blanket and slowly sat up, groaning from the stiffness in her shoulder. "How's your arm?" He asked.

She sighed once she was upright and slowly began to rotate it. "It's sore and stiff. I haven't been moving it enough I think."

"Hm…?" Sango stirred and lifted her head, seeing Yuuki and Inuyasha awake. "Good morning, you two," she greeted as she sat up.

"Morning," they both replied.

Soon enough Shippo woke up along with Kagome and then Miroku. Once they were up and awake, Kagome and Yuuki changed back into their uniforms and joined the others at the table as Densuke served them breakfast. As they ate their meal Miroku suggested, "So, shall we go question around town about the castle?"

"Yes, but we should stay in pairs," Kagome said. She then looked over at Inuyasha and asked, "Do you wanna come with me, Inuyasha?" Yuuki took the quickest glance at her, feeling her chest tighten.

"Yeah, sure," he replied easily. Yuuki looked back to her bowl, wondering what in the world she just felt. It wasn't disappointment, was it?

"And I'll go with Yuuki," Miroku declared.

Yuuki sighed at her bowl of stew, the bags under her eyes feeling suddenly heavier. "Do I have to?" Somehow she felt even worse.

"I'll be with Sango, then!" Shippo said happily as he scurried over to her.

"Well, I suppose it's decided then," Sango said as she stood. Yuuki glanced at her worried slightly. She didn't want to get on her bad side. Sango caught her glance and flashed her a smile, to her surprise. Yuuki only smiled back faintly. She must trust her then.

The group left Densuke's house and split up. Yuuki sighed unhappily as Miroku stood beside her and said, "So, shall we go for a walk?"

"I suppose," she replied and walked off without him. "Sango said there weren't many people yesterday, so it may be slim pickings."

They were quiet for a while and it was oddly comfortable despite Yuuki not being familiar with him. As if to make small talk he said, "So, like Kagome, you're from a different era."

Yuuki nodded, "That's right."

He looked at her and asked, "So are you and Kagome close?"

She smiled faintly to herself, "Yes, very close actually. We've been best friends since we were kids. Both her and I were born into families with shrines, so we hit it off from the start. You all most likely haven't heard about me, which is fine. In fairness I hadn't heard much about you guys, but that's the burden Kagome carries I suppose."

Miroku sighed and stared up at the sky. Yuuki glanced up at him and was surprised to see the sadness in his eyes despite wearing a smile. "It must be a small comfort for you to at least see your good friend again. I can't imagine what it must be like to travel through time… I remember a time when I missed my home and had no one to rely on."

Her eyebrows went up as they slowed to a stop. "Oh, Miroku…" She suddenly felt guilty for how she treated him.

She was going to inquire further, but he smiled at her and said, "Don't be sad. If you want to cry, you can cry on my shoulder."

He held his arm out for her, and she sighed so heavily that he blinked at her. Perhaps she would have cared more if she wasn't so exhausted. "You really _don't_ give it a rest, do you?"

He laughed lightly, "I jest, my apologies. You seem worn-out."

"I am." They resumed walking, and so Yuuki decided to try again. "So... how did you come together with Kagome's group?"

"We all have our connection to Naraku," he replied, which made sense to her. He held out his hand that was covered in cloth tied down with rosary. "Do you know why I keep this hand covered?" She shook her head. "Naraku had cursed my family with a Wind Tunnel. It can suck anything up to oblivion. I witnessed my father become consumed by the very thing when it grew too big, and soon that same fate will befall me if I don't kill him."

She was shocked, staring at his hand. _To be cursed with death..._ She then frowned, "Seems Naraku is set to make everyone's life a living Hell."

Miroku nodded, lowering his hand. "He will succeed, too, if we don't stop him from collecting the jewel shards." He noticed them coming upon a bench and gestured to it, "Let's rest here. We've been walking a while with no luck." Yuuki didn't argue and they sat down, only once she did she let out a tremendous sigh and leaned forward. He was surprised, "You're more exhausted than you seem. Have you been sleeping well?"

"Not really," she groaned as she hung her head. It was impossible to try and sort everything out in her head while she was so drained.

He looked at her concerned, "What is it that ails you? Are you sick?"

Yuuki shook her head and then lifted it to stifle a yawn behind her hand, tears prickling her eyes. "Not sick," she managed to get out. "Just haven't been sleeping well."

Miroku hummed, watching her a moment. "Well, let's rest here a bit. Maybe someone will pass us by and we can speak with them." Yuuki was thankful. Her legs probably wouldn't work if she tried to stand up. "You can lay your head in my lap and take a nap if you wish!"

"No thanks."

He was a lecher, but he wasn't all bad, she supposed. She didn't worry about it too much as they fell into comfortable silence again. Yuuki decided to take the time to try and sort things out in her head. Was that meeting she had with the priestess real? What was she talking about sharing the same soul? And that jewel... Every time she saw it Yuuki couldn't help but notice it above everything else. Like it was drawing her in.

"Hey, Miroku... You've been traveling for a while, haven't you?"

"Hm? Why yes," he turned to her, "why do you ask?"

Yuuki rested her head in her hands, staring at the ground as she thought. "Have you ever heard of a blue pearl? Carried by a priestess?"

"Blue Pearl? You mean the Dai Saishi no Tama; the pearl of the High Priestess?" Yuuki looked at him more amazed that he had an answer for her. He brought a hand to his chin, "I don't know too much of its purpose or whereabouts unfortunately, however it's odd you would ask about it considering you're from a different era. Why do you ask, Yuuki?"

 _I might as well go over everything with him._ She proceeded to explain to him the dreams she had been having, and the most recent one last night. "It's like she's more real than I am. Like I'm a ghost or something, so I can't tell if it's actually real or not." Yuuki sighed, holding her head in her hands again. "Honestly my biggest problem right now is trying to get it to stop. If I don't get some decent sleep then I'm going to collapse."

He hummed for a moment, nodding. "I see. It sounds like astral projection, or an out-of-body experience. I've heard of it being possible through great sessions of meditation, but it sounds like whatever connection you have to this priestess is literally dragging your soul out of your body while you're physically at your weakest."

"How do I fix that?"

"I would continue meditation," he replied. "It can strengthen the connect between your mind and body. A stronger connection could prevent your soul from escaping you. What are your plans about the priestess?"

"Honestly nothing right now." Yuuki forced herself to stand up and stretch, careful of her shoulder. "If we meet her then we do, if not then not. Either way we both just want me to go home, so that's what I'm going to focus on-"

Her eyes snapped open and she jumped, feeling something cup underneath her ass and squeeze. She whipped her head around to see the cloth covered hand and then looked up at Miroku's innocent face staring right at her. Her face went bloody red. "Wh-what... the hell..." Her body was trembling from sheer rage.

Guiltless as ever Miroku said, "I thought I would kindly give you a pick-me-up to lift your weary body." His hand then groped her a few time, almost hard enough to make her ass cheek hurt.

With a ferocious shout and the Seishin power behind her glowing fist, Yuuki punched him across the face as hard as she could. He went flying off the bench and hit the ground hard, rolling a few times before slamming into a tree and remaining motionless. Yuuki walked off without checking his well being, rotating her injured shoulder and shouting, "You're on your own! Pervert!"

She marched through the village feeling violated and humiliated, her face practically glowing red. "I can't believe that jackass," she hissed to herself. "I'm not being left alone with him again." The worst part about it for her was that she sort of... liked it. She put her hands in her face and muffled an angry scream. It wasn't that the monk was attractive in any way, however her body responded in a way that reminded her that she hadn't relieved herself in a while. _It's not like I've had any privacy,_ she thought in her own defense. _It's not my fault!_

She would take the matter to her grave. She couldn't handle the thought of Inuyasha humiliating her further if he found out.

The village was fairly large, though it wasn't close to a city. She walked alone in an attempt to calm herself down, following the river that cut through the village. As her anger died down, her fatigue returned, and she didn't bother to approach the few villagers she saw to question them about the castle. As she neared the waterfall at the back of the village that fed the river, she could hear the faint roar of a demon. She looked up instantly, suddenly filled with energy, and ran towards the sound. She headed towards the waterfall and around the cliff, finding a fenced off clearing. She stopped short to see the winged lizard demon facing off with a young boy. "Run!" She shouted and pulled off her rosary, "Get away!"

"What?" The demon whirled around confused.

Yuuki froze as she witnessed a blade slice through the demon's stomach. She blinked and it was suddenly a bloody heap on the ground with sliced intestines spilling out, staining the dirt. Looking up, she realized the boy held a sickle with a long chain attached. He was even wearing a kind of battle armor with a tanto at his hip. "Well, I guess I wasn't needed," she said as she put her rosary back on. As she approached the boy she asked, "Are you all right at least?"

He smiled up at her with big brown eyes. "Yeah, I'm all right. Thank you for willing to help me though."

There was a soft mew and she looked down to see a kitten peeking out from behind his foot. "You were protecting the cat?"

"Yes," he replied, smiling at her again.

"I see," she then looked over his weapon and asked, "So, what kind of weapon is that?"

"It's called a Kusarigama," he replied, holding the weapon up for her to see. "It's a bit different from the usual ones; it's actually heavier."

"It's very impressive," she commented, crossing her arms. "You seem like a capable boy. So what's your name? Do you live around here?"

"My name is Kohaku," he replied, lowering his weapon. "I don't live here. I actually just arrived three days ago." Yuuki let a small sigh slip through her nose. He wouldn't know much about the castle then, she assumed. "What's your name?" He asked. "From your clothes you don't look like you're from here."

"My name is Fujiwara Yuuki," she replied. "I actually came from a faraway place. You most likely haven't heard of it."

"It's nice to meet you, Yuuki," He said. "Oh," he perked up, seeing the cat wander off. "Uh-the cat, I gotta go! See you later!"

She smiled as she watched him chase the kitten into the woods. _He was such a nice boy, but he looked more like a warrior than a kid._ As she made her way back to the village, she realized that she didn't actually see very many kids. She saw young people here and there in the villages, but they seemed to be married already. _I supposed it's like that in the Feudal Era, you're not a kid for long._ With lower life expectancy people did get married and have children at a far younger age. With demons around, though, and no hospitals, it must've been dangerous to have kids. She followed the river back down to a small lake that the village sat next to. She then perked up, noticing Sango kneeling and staring at flowers. "Hey, Sango," she called as she approached.

Sango look over and stood, smiling as she approached. "Hey, Yuuki." She then looked behind her confused. "Where's Miroku?" Bitterly she added, "I thought he would be following you like a dog."

Yuuki shrugged with a sigh, "Yeah, well, he's probably unconscious still."

"What?" She blinked in surprise.

"Where's Shippo?" She hastily asked in return, needing the subject changed.

"Oh, he went to find Kagome and Inuyasha," she replied as she turned back to the flowers. "I thought I would just stare at the flowers for a moment… These were my brother's favorite."

"Oh," she stared at her and then at the flowers sadly. "I see…"

Sango glanced at her, noticing her expression. "I guess everyone told you about my past." She nodded to her regretfully. Sango only smiled back at the flowers as she said, "My brother was so kind, he almost didn't belong in Demon Slayer Village. He didn't like to fight, but he loved animals and flowers."

"He must have been a great little brother." She didn't have siblings herself, but she did love Kagome's brother and other children she met with.

Sango knelt down by the flowers again and said, "You can go on ahead. I'm going to stay here for a little longer."

"Of course," she nodded and then left her to her privacy. She supposed she should find Kagome and explore the village a little more. She found her friend on the bridge, staring down at the water that passed underneath. "Hey, Kagome," she greeted as she approached.

Kagome looked over and became concerned. "Why the long face? You seem upset."

"Huh? Oh," she made a weak smile. "Sango was just telling me about her brother."

"I see," she nodded in understanding. "I can't imagine what it would be like to lose my brother to Naraku… Naraku took Kohaku so that he could try to control Sango."

"That's terrible," she commented, and stared at the water with her. They were silent for a moment. She looked back at her, "I'm sorry, did you say Kohaku?"

"Huh, yeah." She tilted her head. "Why?"

Yuuki stared at her as she wondered how common of a name Kohaku was. "I'll…" She slowly backed away, holding up a finger. "I'll be back."

"Huh?" Kagome watched confused as she ran off. "Yuuki!"

 _With Tsuzumi Village being close to the castle town, it couldn't be a coincidence, but I have to be sure!_ It was an insane thought to think that she had _just_ run into Sango's stolen away brother, but it made sense. She hoped that it wasn't for Sango's sake. Yuuki ran back to the hidden clearing where she met him and stopped short, ducking behind a bush. She could see the kitten he rescued wandering into the forest past the wooden fence.

What were the chances that he would still be following the cat? She crouched low and snuck after the cat into the trees. "Huh?" Only she immediately came back out onto a hidden road. Since it was fenced off, she could only assume it was abandoned. Continuing to move forward cautiously she followed the road around a bend, stopping and ducking behind a tree when she spotted Kohaku. He was walking into a man-made opening in the side of the mountain. She waited after he went inside before following him into the cave.

The cave turned out to be a giant abandoned mine. Drips from stalagmites rang clear, so Yuuki was forced to tail Kohaku far back in an attempt to hide her footsteps. She peered at him from behind a corner, watching as he disappeared around another corner. Once she couldn't hear movement, she hurried after him only to come to a crossroads. She frantically looked between her three options, trying to see a sign of which direction he went. _Did he lose me on purpose? Did he know I was following him?_

"One, two, three, four!" Her head snapped to one of the tunnels, hearing an old man chant, "One, two, three, four!" She ran down the tunnel and found him, picking away at the rock wall. "And I keep digging, but still no gold," he grumbled to himself.

"Excuse me," she said, walking up to the man.

"WHAA!" He spun around and in his fright swung his pick at her. Yuuki went wide eyed and bit a yelp, stumbling backwards and dodging the swing. "Oh, a young lady," he said, calming down. "Sorry, miss, you frightened me a bit." She only blinked at him a few times before regaining composure. "I'm surprised to see someone else on this road. I'm the only one that knows about this secret back road."

"Secret back road?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes. "Would it happen to lead to the castle?" He opened his mouth, but quickly covered it up. "Please, my friends and I are stranded in this town and need to get to the castle."

The old man glowered, not wanting to share the information, but begrudgingly relented. "Well, yes, it is. A secret road originally intended as a mine to find gold. My father was a young lad when he happened upon it's secret." He eyeballed her distrusting. "And who are you? Your clothes are funny. How did you find this place?"

"My name is Yuuki," she replied, and attempted to put on a helpless act. "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but my friend went wandering off by himself to find a way to the castle town and I think he got lost. He's a young boy about this tall, brown hair and freckles. Did he come through here?"

"Nope," he relaxed and shook his head. "No one comes through here. Now you should run along, and don't tell no one about this place!"

"Right," she bowed to him, "thank you, and sorry again!" The old man resumed his mining and she walked away with a sigh. _He couldn't have gone too far, he was walking fairly slow._ She headed back to the crossroads and turned the corner, only to bump into someone. She jumped, startled, and then was even more shocked. "K-Kohaku!"

He was surprised as well. "Yuuki?"

Though her heart was racing, Yuuki mustered a smile. "Kohaku, I was actually looking for you..." Seeing his weapons and outfit, he had to be from a demon slayer village, if how he killed that one demon wasn't proof enough. "I had a question..." She trailed off and narrowed her eyes, watching as his lively brown eyes slowly turned dull and lifeless. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. "Um… Do you have a sister named Sango?"

He didn't respond. Instead he slowly raised his Kusarigama and she stepped back, becoming nervous. "Kohaku?" She questioned. "Kohaku, answer me. Do you know Sango?"

She braced, and he threw his weapon. Yuuki tucked and rolled to the side, springing back to her feet, but wincing at her shoulder. It was still too tender to move around much. He was quick and threw his blade at her again. Her acrobatics skills kicked in and she back flipped away, the blade stabbing into the ground. She sprang off the ground with her hands and landed back on her feet, but cried out and held her arm, screwing her eyes shut. _It's too painful!_ Hearing the cling of his chain she forced her eyes open. The chain flew at her and she tried to move back, but it wrapped around her bad arm and she went wide eyed.

"Kohaku, please!" She grabbed the chain and tried to pull, but he pulled back and harder. He yanked on her arm and her shoulder screamed, forcing her to cry out in pain. She held her own arm and tried to pull back, but her feet were sliding in the damp dirt. "Is it Naraku!? Is he making you do this!?" He stared listlessly on as he reached for the tanto at his hip. Yuuki's eyes went wide, "Kohaku, please!"

"Stop it, Kohaku!" Both Yuuki and Kohaku turned their heads to see Sango flying in, riding Kirara who was in a huge beastly form with giant fangs. Yuuki was in awe at the sight, and then watched as Sango hurled her Hiraikotsu at her brother.

Kohaku was quick, and with a flick of the chain detangled from Yuuki's arm before leaping away, dodging the giant boomerang. "You're useless!" Another woman hissed.

Yuuki _knew_ that voice. She looked over to see Kagura walk out from behind a rock next to Kohaku landing on his feet. She glared, " _Kagura._ "

She smiled coyly from behind her fan. "Well that's a pleasant surprise. You remember me."

Sango caught her weapon and landed next to Yuuki, hopping off of Kirara. Yuuki glared at Kagura holding her throbbing shoulder. "Difficult to forget the bitch's face that almost cut off your arm."

That made her smirk. "Be thankful, girl. If I really wanted to I would have." Yuuki raised her lip in a snarl. She hated that cocky woman. "Now," she closed her fan and pointed it at Sango saying, "Kohaku is going to capture this girl, so you stay back and watch. Don't do anything you'll be sorry for. Kohaku's life is in the balance."

Kirara snarled while Sango only tightened her grip on her weapon, glaring her down. "Witch."

Kagura chuckled from behind her fan looking smug. Kohaku slowly raised his kusarigama as he approached. Yuuki frantically tried to think of a way out knowing they were at a disadvantage. "Get ready." Sango glanced at her, but didn't question as she hopped back onto Kirara. She then ripped her rosary off and swung just as Kohaku threw his blade. The glowing rosary whip parried the metal, and then Yuuki tossed it into the air with a clap. " _Bullet Storm!_ " In a flurry the beads bombarded the cave ceiling between them.

Kagura shouted in frustration as the stone came crumbling down. She summoned her giant feather as Kohaku retreated. "Get on!" Sango shouted over the cave in, and grabbed Yuuki's good arm to drag her onto Kirara's back. Yuuki caught her weapon again and put it on as Kirara flew out of the cave and through the collapsing tunnel.

Kirara flew them safely outside, and they took to the sky at a calm pace. Sango looked back over her shoulder and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I am. Thank you for saving me."

Sango glared at the ground below in frustration. "Kohaku... Yuuki, I'm so-"

"Don't, please."

She glanced back at her with a guilty expression. "Your arm... he hurt you."

Though Yuuki held her shoulder, she gave her a comforting expression in return, "Sango, don't apologize for that. I would never ask you to fight your brother at the risk of him dying. We got out; we're fine." Relaxing a little she then asked, "Sango, how did you find us anyways? The road to the mine was a secret."

"Well, after I was done looking at the flowers I went to find Miroku to see what happened exactly." Kirara went back to the ground and they dismounted, and Kirara transformed into her smaller form in a flurry of flames. "After he told his side of the story I went to find you to apologize for his vulgar behavior. A young fisherman told me that he saw you disappear around the back side of town." She then frowned and asked, "Why did you go by yourself?"

Yuuki looked away guiltily. "Well… I happened to run into Kohaku before I knew the name of your brother… After Kagome told me I had to find out if he was actually your brother or not. I came alone because I didn't want to raise any alarm in case it was false. I guess it backfired."

"Don't do things by yourself anymore," Sango said and Yuuki saw her sad look. "We're a team, right?" She stared at her. _A team?_ She knew that the five of them were a group, but she didn't consider herself a member really. In her hesitation, Sango smiled and added, "You're important to all of us, Yuuki. It's why we're all helping you get back home. You like us, right?" She did. Yuuki smiled, though a bit bashful, and nodded. Sango nodded in return, "Then let's stick together like a team. Come on, we should head back."

"Let's," Yuuki agreed and the two walked together. "They'll be happy to hear we found a secret back road to the castle."


	5. Sight Seeing

Inuyasha was enthusiastic, "Really!?"

Yuuki couldn't help but smile a little at his beaming face. It was cute- in a childlike sense. "Yes, it's through a mining cave in the back outskirts of the village."

Yuuki and Sango returned to Densuke's hut covered in a thick layer of dust from the cave in. After they cleaned up, they explained to the others what had transpired. Once they were done discussing, Densuke came out from the back room and said, "Everyone, your beds are ready. Will you be staying the night?"

Inuyasha looked like he was going to refuse, but Miroku quickly spoke up, "Naraku will already know now that we're on our way regardless if we leave now or later."

"He's right," Kagome added, making Inuyasha pout. "It's almost night already. We should stay here for tonight and then set out in the morning."

"All right then," Densuke bowed to them. "Goodnight everyone." He retired to his own room and they retired to theirs.

Yuuki figured she'd missed dinner, however when she laid her head down- not even bothering to change her clothes at this point, nothing was going to get her back up. Yet how she dreaded sleep. She didn't meditate at all today, so she figured her soul would just get dragged out of her again and she wouldn't get any sleep. All she could do is close her eyes and try to focus, _soul, stay in my body, I'm begging you._ She prayed as much as she could before drifting asleep.

* * *

Yuuki opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling she'd been staying under for a couple nights now. She blinked, her eye lids not fighting her to stay shut. _I didn't dream last night._ She sat up, propping herself up with her good arm. Her body actually felt well rested and she felt like she could take on the day.

"You're looking better."

Yuuki looked over at Inuyasha to see him staring at her. Again they were the first two awake. She couldn't help but smile, "Yeah, I actually got decent rest this time."

"So, you're soul didn't visit that mysterious priestess again?"

Her smile fell away. She couldn't quite understand why he seemed so accusing. "Oh, Miroku told you guys about that?"

"Yeah, he did. What I don't get is why _you_ didn't tell us."

Yuuki was surprised to feel guilt stab her heart. "Well... I didn't really understand what was going on until last night. Besides that, there was nothing to come of it."

"Priestess aside, your health is what matters, Yuuki," he said firmly and she stared at him. "You were seriously injured by Kagura. You're just a human, you need proper rest to heal. What would you do if you suddenly collapsed?"

Yuuki was silenced by his point. She didn't think it was as serious as he put it at the time. She looked to the ground, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Inuyasha shifted, slightly uncomfortable that there wasn't any frustrated backlash at him. "Right, well... as long as you know now." She glanced up at him, seeing him looking away with a pink tint to his cheeks. She looked away as well with the same blush, her stomach feeling uneasy again. It was an odd feeling, but she didn't think it was hunger this time. _Does he really care that much about my well being? He doesn't even really know me..._

They didn't say anything more, and shortly after that did everyone else wake up. They said their good mornings, and no one else talked to her about the subject. Kagome helped with changing her bandages again before they packed up and set out, saying goodbye to Densuke. Sango and Yuuki led the way to the cave and it took a group effort to navigate the mining tunnels. Once they made it to the other side, they found they weren't far from the highway entrance.

After they followed that back to the main road, they were making good time as they went through the forest. That's when they heard a woman's scream. Miroku perked up, "The cry of a young maiden!" Everyone gave him a tired glance.

"A demon! Someone help me!"

"We must hurry!" Miroku took off.

Inuyasha groaned loudly as Shippo said, "Well, we can't exactly refuse to help."

"Let's go," Sango said begrudgingly and followed after him.

They ran after the monk down the path and came across three aristocratic women cowering from a small flying demon. Kagome acted first and took out an arrow. Her arrow of purification flew by her friends, causing them to halt, and hit the small demon dead on, purifying it and disintegrating it in a purifying light.

Yuuki looked back at her surprised. "Wow, Kagome, that was impressive." It was a rather small target for being so far back.

Kagome scratched the back of her head embarrassed. "It's nothing, really."

"Thank you so much!" The airy woman's voice said.

Kagome was still smiling. "Honestly, it wasn't-"

"It was our pleasure," Miroku's voice responded.

They group turned crest fallen as they looked to their monk to see him holding the hands of the woman in the most lavish robes. Yuuki pegged her as the aristocrat and the two women flanking her the hand maidens. She looked at Miroku with a romantic expression, "It's only because of _you_ that I'm alive."

Kagome's eye twitched and Shippo stifled a laugh. "We were merely passing through," Miroku said, brushing aside his bangs. "It was nothing."

"I don't know what would have become of me, if you hadn't saved me," she said leaning in.

Yuuki tilted her head at them, "Is this for real...?" It appeared so superficial, but she was told she was oblivious so...

"You saved our lady Yuri-hime," one of the hand maids bowed to him.

The other bowed as well, "Yes, and we are forever grateful."

He managed to release Yuri-hime's hands and placed each hand on the servant's lower backs. "I'm here now, so everything will be alright."

The group's faces contorted in a more bizarre expression as the servants began feeling his arms. "You're so strong!"

They both stared up at him alluringly, "You're such a handsome monk."

Miroku straightened his back and chuckled. "I never get hurt by such small demons."

Yuuki turned to the others and thumbed to him saying, "What's exactly going on?" This display of behavior was foreign to her.

"He's being a lecher," Sango replied, glaring at him. "Come _on_ ," she said to him getting agitated. "You're such a flirt! We have other things to do."

Inuyasha crossed his arms and said, "It doesn't look like there are any other demons. Let's go."

Kagome lifted her hand to shade her face as she peered at the sun. "It's still a ways to the castle. We need to hurry if we want to make it before dark."

"Wait a minute," Yuri-hime quickly spoke up. "I want to show you my appreciation. If you would like, please come to my mansion."

"Thank you very much!" Miroku said happily. "We will gladly go with you."

"What!?" Both Inuyasha and Sango barked. "Hey, Miroku," he walked up to his confused look. "Why in the world do we need to go to some woman's house?"

"We don't need any more distractions," she added crossing her arms stubbornly.

"We will prepare you a delicious meal," the servants tempted.

"Yes! And after that you can enjoy a hot bath."

Inuyasha's ears twitched. "Food, huh?"

Shippo looked over at him and said, "I'm actually starving."

"A hot bath?" Kagome swooned. That's when Yuuki was hooked as well. She hadn't had a bath since she arrived in the Feudal Era, and she still had dirt in places she shouldn't mention.

"There are only more dangerous demons from here on," the servant woman said. "You won't be able to make it to the castle town before nightfall, believe us."

"Well, they are inviting us," Sango murmured, still not enjoying the idea. "It would be rude to refuse…"

"As long as I am here, you don't need to worry about demons," Miroku said to them, causing a tick mark to pop up on Sango's head.

The three damsels in distress won and escorted the group into the woods to the mansion. At least they flocked around Miroku at the front while the rest of them trailed behind. The first thing Yuuki noticed was they weren't on a path. The evening crows were cawing by the time they made it to the mansion which made her uneasy as well. She glanced at the others to see if they were suspicious. Inuyasha seemed at ease, however Yuuki anticipated that. Both Sango and Kagome were glancing around as well. Yuuki glanced behind them and she couldn't see the main road anymore. Was it common for mansions to be in the middle of nowhere? They were brought straight to the dining room, not even a glance at the guest rooms or bathing area. As they all sat down, Miroku and Shippo seemed oblivious while the rest of them exchanged looks. _Something isn't right_ , Yuuki thought. The servants were gone for only a short while before an ungodly amount of food was brought out before them. _Are we being paranoid or is this extremely suspicious? If they were demons then wouldn't Inuyasha smell it?_

"Wow!" They all stared down at the gorgeous food in front of them. "That's a lot of food," Kagome commented. "There's no way I can finish all of this."

"Yeah," Yuuki stared down at her portion bizarrely. "Me neither…" She looked to her side to see Miroku stand.

He approached Yuri-hime and said humbly, "You are such a beautiful woman."

Yuri-hime looked at him genuinely surprised for a moment before bashfully covered her blush with her sleeve. "Oh, Miroku… You say such sweet words."

Yuuki knit her brows together as she watched them sit at the far end of the table away from them. She turned to Kagome and spoke quietly, "What on earth is going on with those two?" It was ridiculous and exaggerated.

Kagome paused her eating and glanced over at them, seeing them flirting. She lowered her chopsticks and replied, "It's called flirting."

Shippo overheard them and perked up. "Has a man never flirted with you, Yuuki?"

Inuyasha suddenly started laughing and she went red in the face, shooting a harsh glare at him. "Of course one has." It was a lie. At least she thought so. Though friends claimed that they were flirting with her, she didn't notice it. At least not to Miroku's degree.

Inuyasha nearly spit out his food. " _One_ she says."

Yuuki damn near bared her teeth at him in anger, trembling while Kagome smiled at her with a sweat drop. "Easy now..."

"Well, have you flirted with other men?" Shippo asked innocently.

Yuuki's face felt on fire and she was staring at Shippo. _What's with all the personal questions!?_ "No, I have not."

"Well, are you interested in any men?"

"N-No..." Strangely enough, that felt like a lie as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed both Kagome and Sango took glances at her. She felt herself begin to sweat. _I haven't been interested in anyone. I'm not interested in anyone!_ She suddenly lost her appetite as her stomach went into a knot.

"Well, what kind of man would you be interested in?"

She couldn't be any more tense. "I-I... I don't know..." She was losing her ability to speak. _I've never thought about it before._

That's when Inuyasha chimed in, "Well, are you even interested in men?"

" _Okay!_ " Yuuki slammed her chopsticks down on the table and was ready to attack him. Kagome was quickly trying to coerce her to sit back down. "First of all, they wouldn't be a jackass!" However Inuyasha only threw his head back and laughed genuinely, making her suddenly lightheaded at the swarm of emotions from infuriated to something positive she didn't understand. _Well, his laugh is nice if not his personality..._

Sango, who was oddly quiet and distant, looked up at Yuuki and asked, "Why do you seem so against being with someone?"

She sat back down and glared at her food in frustration. "Because I don't _need_ anyone." She was reminding herself that more than responding to the question. "I have my priorities and dating boys isn't one of them!"

"Work-a-holic," Inuyasha commented before shoving a whole cooked fish in his mouth.

There was suddenly a snapping sound and they all looked to Sango. She was staring at her food with her chopsticks broken in her fist. They then heard the sliding door shut and realized Miroku had disappeared with Yuri-hime. Kagome looked at Sango alarmed and asked, "Should we let them go?"

"It doesn't have anything to do with me," Sango said firmly.

Shippo mumbled around his food, "Am I the only one that sees that is does?"

They went oddly silent after that. Inuyasha sighed and focused on his eating unperturbed. Yuuki stared at her food, trying to find her hunger again. She felt awkward with the mood of the room. Was Sango so upset and angry towards Miroku _because_ of feelings of affection? She tried to put herself in her shoes and she was starting to not like the feeling. However... Yuuki took a quick glance towards Inuyasha. _What's going on with me?_

"I can't smell my food." Sango grabbed their attention again.

Yuuki sniffed, and then went wide eyed. "I can't either."

"Me neither!" Shippo exclaimed.

Kagome quickly dropped her chopsticks. "Is it drugged?"

"No, the food's fine," Inuyasha assured as he looked around the table. "It's something else. Dammit, I didn't notice!"

That's when Sango stood and marched over to a decorative table. "It's this," she quickly grabbed a vase and threw the flowers to the floor. They watched as she dumped the water over burning incense and covered it with the vase to trap the smoke. "They must have this stuff burning around the mansion, it's why Inuyasha couldn't smell them when we encountered them. They used the small demon before to distract us."

Yuuki quickly got to her feet in alarm. "So they're demons?"

"Shh," Inuyasha shushed her and went to the sliding door. He leaned in close and his ear twitched. "I can hear the hand maids outside... They're deciding who they want to eat."

"They have Miroku..." Yuuki glanced at Sango, seeing she was suddenly worried. Whatever anger she had towards the perverted monk was gone for now.

Without warning, Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and shredded through the tatami door. "Where's the lecher!?"

Yuuki pulled off her rosary, "He's not one for tact is he?"

"Not really," Kagome replied as they all hurried after him.

The hand maids were posted on either side of the hallway, trapping them. Their human bodies swelled and bloated, bubbling up until they burst. They all shielded themselves from the spray of blood and witness their demon forms, lizards twice the size of their puppets and salivating acid. Inuyasha was quick on one and tore through it effortlessly, " _Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!_ "

" _Kyah!_ " Yuuki was amazed at Sango's skill to nimbly swing her Hiraikotsu in such a narrow space. The angle of the boomerang broke into the demon's skull before splitting its body in half.

"This place is too crowded," Inuyasha complained.

"I agree, but we have to find Miroku!" Sango then took off without them and they had to hurry after her.

"Wait for us!" Shippo called after her.

They raced to the end of the hall and stopped at an outdoor walkway. The hall outside wrapped around a sand garden that separated the two wings of the mansion. It would have been beautiful if not for the group of various demons trashing it, screeching and dancing around a fire they created. They were surprised, but not as surprised as Inuyasha. "There's so many of them... I can't smell a single one!"

"They're having a party," Shippo realized.

They were drinking and eating, but when Yuuki squinted for a better look, she realized the meat they were eating was human arms and legs. She brought a hand to her mouth, "Oh god, they're casually eating people..." She knew that demons ate humans, however to witness it made her sick.

"There's too many to fight without drawing attention," Sango said. They followed her lead as she backtracked down the hall. "We have to make a distraction. Find something that would draw them out."

Per her instructions, they searched from room to room. They were trashed and looted, and most of them were filled with human remains. Bones to rotting flesh to fresh kills, chunks taken out of them. Yuuki opened another door and peeked in, however when she saw a half devoured child with her last expression, she quickly shut the door covering her mouth. Inuyasha walked up beside her and opened the door again. He was rather close, but Yuuki found it comforting for the moment. Inuyasha sighed, "Demon's typically finish their food. With the highway blocked off, their trap seems successful enough for them to become wasteful and carefree."

Yuuki choked down the bile that was rising in her throat. "I'm glad I can't smell anything."

"Over here!" Sango called out to them and they rushed for her. She dragged a barrel out of a storage room and said, "This is Ayakashi Spring sake, a favorite among the demons."

"We can trick the demons into going somewhere else by using this sake!" Shippo said happily.

"We've been putting out the incense as we go," Kagome said.

"Good, it might take a few minutes, but they'll smell the sake well enough to be drawn out," Sango replied.

"We can place it at the end of the hall," Yuuki suggested and they looked at her. "It's narrow enough to filter them through. Kagome can used her arrow and strike through them all."

Inuyasha smirked at her. "That's a good idea. You're pretty smart."

Yuuki couldn't help but smirk back, "You'd be surprised with proper schooling."

Inuyasha picked up the barrel effortlessly and set it at the end of the hall, ripping off the sealed lid. He coughed as he ducked behind the wall with Sango. "That stuff's strong."

Kagome knocked an arrow and hid behind on the other side with Yuuki. Shippo was behind the barrel and jumping up, fanning the aroma of the sake down the hall when he could. Then one demon cried above the rest, "Sake! Do you smell that?"

"Ayakashi Spring sake!"

"Where!? Where is it?"

"Down here!"

Shippo braced himself against the back of the barrel as the demons came thundering down the hall. "Move, move!"

"Sweet Ayakashi Spring!"

The floorboards shook as they neared and Shippo shut his eyes tight. Last second Kagome spun out from behind the wall and fired her arrow. The pink of her aura flared from the hall, and the rukus of the demons was silenced at once. The last thing they heard was a thud of the arrow sinking into a wooden beam at the other end of the hall. Yuuki peered around the corner in surprised, not seeing a trace of the demons. "Wow, Kagome, that was awesome." Her purification powers had obliterated literally everything.

She smiled at her, "Thanks. Now let's find Miorku!"

They let Sango take the lead through the mansion. It wasn't until they heard Miroku's voice that they slid to a halt. "It really is a nice night."

They slowly approached the open door and heard Yuri-hime's voice, "Please, I'm so lonely here, Miroku. Will you comfort me?"

"If it's all right with you, I don't want to take advantage…"

"Oh, Miroku…"

Yuuki's eyes were wide as plates. _Am I going to listen to him have sex?_ Her face went red in a second and she jumped when she heard Miroku make a strange groaning sound. Shippo cocked his head confused. "That didn't sound like he liked it..."

However Sango bristled like a cactus as she growled, "That dirty monk…!"

They then heard Yuri-hime chuckle. "I've got him now…"

"Um, Sango," Kagome reached for her, "Something's not right-"

Sango sprinted into the room with her weapon ready. "Damn," Inuyasha murmured as they quickly ran after her. " _You dirty monk!_ What are you doing in here!?"

Yuri-hime looked up in surprise. "Girl, why are you here!?" The group filed in behind her and saw Miroku hunched over on the ground in pain. "Where are my guards!?"

"If you're talking about your demon guards; we killed them all," Inuyasha replied.

Her eyes flashed red. "Why, you…!" Then before their eyes her human body was torn apart and transformed into a giant floating red demonic head.

"Miroku!" Sango rushed out to get him, but a barrier knocked her away.

"You're wasting your time trying to save the monk," the demon said. "He's in a trance right now. You can't do anything because this place is protected by a barrier."

"I'm noticing barriers are a problem here," Yuuki said annoyed as she took off her rosary.

Sango got on her knees and pleaded to Miroku, "Wake up! Miroku, _wake up!_ "

"You humans make me laugh," the demon chuckled and Sango glared up at her. "I'm going to eat the monk's liver. You sit over there and watch. Now…" She turned to Miroku. "Give me your power!"

Her gaping mouth lunged for Miroku, but he suddenly snapped his head up and blocked her with his staff. Kagome smiled in relief, "Thank goodness."

"W-What!?" He knocked the demon back and staggered to his feet, holding his side as if he were injured. "Weren't you in a trance?"

He smirked through his pain. "Merely an act, however the pain you caused was genuine." He then made a dash for the back of the room towards the dresser. He swung his staff and brought it down on a decorative crystal, shattering it. The barrier shone and burned away, making Sango smile.

" _Hiraikotsu!_ " She threw her weapon and Yuuki backed her up by lashing out with her rosary. The boomerang slammed the demon into the wall and then bounced back to Sango. The rosary whipped down the front of the demon's face and split her open, and then Kagome shot an arrow, finishing off the demon and dissolving it with her purifying powers.

"Man, I haven't done anything in forever," Inuyasha complained as he released the hilt of his sword.

Yuuki smirked at him as she put her rosary back on. "Be faster and there won't be a problem."

"Aren't you new!?" He barked. "How are you killing things?"

"By being faster than you," she replied in his face.

"Yeah right!" He shouted back, making her lean back a little. She blushed in frustration at his closeness, glaring at him. "Some old guy just held your hand and walked you through the steps! I had to sweat and bleed to get where I'm at now!"

"And _where's_ that?" She countered. " _Behind_ me, watching me kill demons!"

"Hey, look at that!" Kagome popped up between them, making them blink at her happy smile. "Miroku is safe! Isn't that great?"

"Huh?" They looked over to see Sango smiling at Miroku. "Oh yeah…"

Miroku took a seat to rest, still holding his side, and Sango sat with him. "I was afraid she already went for your liver."

"Were you impressed?" He asked and let her inspect his wound. "Do you love me now?" He moved in close, making her blush. His hand reached around her and grabbed her ass a little hard, rubbing up and down it.

On reflex she slapped him so hard he slammed into the ground. "You're obviously fine!"

"You don't give up, do you," Inuyasha questioned as he put his hands behind his head.

Shippo copied his movement and said, "If only he wasn't such a ladies' man."

"No," Yuuki crossed her arms, "If only he had self-control."

"It's the hand!" Miroku insisted, showing his covered hand. "It's possessed!"

"Poor Sango," Kagome sighed, holding her arms as she stared at them sadly. "I don't get Miroku, sometimes."

"Now, now," he grunted as he got back up, "you all misunderstand me. I knew from the start that they were demons."

"Doubtful," the two boys chimed together.

"It's true!" He insisted. "Aristocratic women such as them would wear perfume. I couldn't smell a thing from them. Besides, why would a woman of such status be wandering the woods with only two handmaids and no bodyguards?"

Yuuki stared at him surprised. "You're not lying. You knew?"

"No one else thought it was suspicious that they couldn't smell the food? Or that no one else was spotted in this mansion?"

Sango came back around and smiled at him, "I guess I misjudged you this time, Miroku. But why didn't you just tell us?"

"Well, I figured Inuyasha would act first and think later," he replied and Inuyasha glared at him. "I needed to find the center of this chaos and assess our opponents. Getting close to their leader was beneficial as well."

"At least we got free food," Shippo said and Yuuki agreed.

"Well, we can't stay here," Kagome said. "This place is overrun with dead bodies, and the incense will wear off eventually. We need to make camp for the night."

The rest of them agreed. Once they were back by the main road they set up camp with a fire for the night. Yuuki woke again with no complications, feeling well rested. Kagome was able to remove her bandages finally, revealing a large discolored yet clean scar. After a quick check of inventory they headed out for the castle town and made it in good time, reaching the bridge over the river to enter the city.

Yuuki sighed when she finally witnessed it. "So, this is the castle town." She put a hand on her hip as she surveyed some of the townspeople at a distance. "It appears to be normal."

"Yeah…" Inuyasha sniffed the air, testing it. "But I'm getting a weird feeling." He glared up at the castle that was perched on a hill above the city.

"Yes, I do sense something strange," Miroku added and Yuuki glanced at him.

"Sense?" She questioned. "A demonic presence? I don't see or feel anything." Her body memorized the pressure of a demonic presence well enough back at Akebi temple.

"Me neither," Kagome added.

"Things aren't always as they seem," Shippo said from her shoulder, drawing their attention. "Otherwise we'd have no need for monks like Miroku."

"Yeah, I guess so," Sango said crossing her arms.

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked, looking back at them confused.

Yuuki and Sango only remained silent and refused eye contact with him. "Actually, come to think of it," Kagome said, turning to the castle town curious. "Don't you think it's kind of dull and gloomy for a city by the castle? Kasasagi was much more lively."

"It's true," Sango replied. "It seems even more gloomy than when Miroku and I came to check on it. There's definitely a suppressing aura in the air."

They were quiet for a moment as they observed the city. That's when Kagome perked back up happily, "But I'll be happy as long as I can take a bath!"

"Ugh," Inuyasha looked down at Yuuki and blinked at her sudden depressed slouch. "We didn't get our bath at the demon mansion. I'm desperate..."

"A bath?" Inuyasha questioned. "We don't need one of those yet. What do you think, Kagome?" Yuuki then watched in horror as Inuyasha went over to her and began sniffing her armpits.

Kagome went red in the face and shouted, "You're awful! _Sit! Sit! Sit!_ " Inuyasha went wide eyed in fear before getting repeatedly slammed into the ground. "Stupid Inuyasha!" She finished before walking off.

"There they go again!" Shippo said, as if he were expecting the spectacle. The group quickly followed after her, leaving Inuyasha to get up when he could.

A young boy was sitting in the dirt up against a building. He held a homemade pinwheel and spun it with his finger with a sad expression. Shadows passed over and he glanced up, seeing a group of colorful characters from half demon to monk to women in strange clothing. He was fixated on them as they walked by, having never seen their like before. That's when the girl with long wild brown hair stopped and glanced down at him. He jumped, frozen in place by the intensity of her lavender eyes.

She knelt down to him and asked, "Are you all right?"

He blinked, and her intensity seemed to go away. She seemed nice. "Uhh..." He blinked, and then perked up asking, "A-are you going to the castle?" She nodded. "Can I ask a favor of you?"

He asked it loudly with desperation, catching the attention of Yuuki's friends. They stopped and looked back, watching as her eyebrows went up. "A favor?"

"My name is Jiro," he hastily got out, and then handed her the pinwheel. "Please, would you take this to my sister? She's a little bigger than me- her name is Toki- O-Toki now I guess, she works at the castle! I made this for."

Yuuki glanced at the pinwheel. "Why don't you give it to her yourself, Jiro? I'm sure she would appreciate it."

Her friends approached them as Jiro pouted. "I was going to, but my papa forbade me from going to the castle."

"Why's that?" Inuyasha asked.

"How should I know?" Jiro snapped back with an attitude. Inuyasha's eye twitched.

Kagome smiled down at him, "You must really miss your sister, huh?"

"N-No!" He replied quickly with a blush. "My sister's the one that misses me. She cried cause she can't see me anymore now that she lives at the castle." He looked back to Yuuki and offered the pinwheel again, "Please, if I get caught sneaking off again my papa will tan my hide! I gotta get this to her, please?"

Yuuki smiled warmly at his brotherly affection for his sister. "Of course, I'll get it to O-Toki for you," she accepted his pinwheel.

His face lit up. "Oh, thank you! Tell her to hang in there for me, okay? I'll visit her really soon."

Yuuki nodded, "I promise," she replied as she stood.

"Wow, Yuuki, you're so nice!" Shippo said smiling at her.

Yuuki blushed lightly and smiled back, "Thanks, Shippo."

"If only she were like that the other ninety-percent of the time," Inuyasha grumbled and her face fell.

Then Miroku slid up next to her. "No doubt you will make a wonderful mother."

"I'll hit you again." Miroku then slid back away.

"Excuse me," a woman approached them and gained their attention. "Did I hear you say you were going to the castle?" She asked.

"Yes, that's right," Sango replied.

She lit up. "Everyone!" She called back to the shop behind her. "These people want to go to the castle!" To the groups confusion a swarm of women came out and surrounded them, putting them on edge. "We're the wives of the Samurai. Our husbands went into the castle, but they haven't returned yet."

"We haven't seen our husbands in _months_ ," another explained.

Yuuki and Sango looked sympathetically to all of their sad expressions. "It must be tough being the wife of a Samurai," Yuuki said and Sango nodded.

"The fact that they're still alive in these warring times, to be so close yet unable to see them," she added.

"Yes," The first wife stepped towards them. "We just got together to discuss how we can possibly get some homemade food to our husbands."

"I see," Yuuki nodded. "So, do you want us to take the food for you?"

"Hey, what are you saying?" Inuyasha asked becoming annoyed.

"It's fine," Kagome replied and took off her backpack to open it up "We can take them. Here, put them in this bag."

"Thank you so much," the wife replied and held up her rice ball. "Please, take this rice ball to my husband Yukimura."

"And this one to Mitsuru!"

"Please, take this to Gorou. Thank you!"

Nearly twenty rice balls of various colors all scribbled with names were packed into the bag. After the wives thanked them profusely, they managed to slip away and continued further into the city, making their way to the castle. Yuuki looked from person to person as they walked, observing their despondent nature. Kids weren't playing, people weren't bustling. The air was very suffocated. Looking up to the castle she spoke, "The castle seems to be a shadow looming over the people." They all glanced at her. "I can see what you mean now. This city is oppressed by the mere aura."

Sango smiled at her, "I'm impressed. You catch on quickly."

"Psst!" A hiss of a whisper cut through them and they stopped. A man covered in a tattered cloak was hiding in the shadows of a narrow alleyway. Looking around, Yuuki noticed that a few of the people glanced at them, but quickly looked away. They approached the man in the cloak and he continued, "Adventurers, you must be warned, the king is a monster!"

"How so," Inuyasha asked.

"You merely need to look in his eyes." The man grabbed the hood of his cloak and pulled it closer to conceal his face. "I've seen them red as blood. He is no longer our king, he is a demon that devoured our beloved ruler. Executions on his whims, beating and torturing the maids near death, enjoying their screams. I don't know what happened to the last messenger of the castle, I can only hope for a swift death, but that witch he replaced him with is a vile, evil sorceress!"

Miroku stepped forward and demanded, "How do you know this?"

"I was the chief counselor of his royal court." Without revealing his face, he opened up his cloak to show a shining red and gold medallion pinned on his shirt. They had no proof it was real, but were inclined to believe him. "Changes happened slowly at first, and one by one the counselors went missing. Rumors of the maids said they witnessed them being dragged to the basement of the castle, where they saw a young ghost child."

"Ghost child?" Shippo questioned.

He nodded. "I'm not sure, but they described the little girl with white hair and clothes, pale as death, and eyes black as the void, carrying a peculiar mirror that gleamed in darkness."

"Kanna," Sango confirmed and Yuuki glanced at her.

"Naraku's incarnation I'm assuming?"

"Yes," Kagome nodded.

"Are you perhaps Inuyasha, the half dog demon?" The chief counselor asked and Inuyasha's ears twitched.

Kagome was surprised, "You know him?"

"After my suspicions of the king, I had my trusted servants do research," he explained. "A demon named Naraku, and a half demon named Inuyasha chasing him down."

"Yeah, that's me," Inuyasha replied gruffly.

"Please, take this," he offered them an ordinary key and Miroku accepted it. "It doesn't look much, but it is a master key to every door in the castle. I don't wish to see this castle's history to become ruined, nor the city crumble under a demon's rule." Then suddenly the counselor slipped back into the shadows and fled.

"Well, you're making a name for yourself around these parts," Sango said.

As Miroku pocketed the key he replied, "It's nice to have some assistance for once."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned and they all peered at him.

Inuyasha was staring after the man for a moment. "It's nothing." He then continued walking on.

As they followed him, Yuuki glanced up at his face, wondering what was on his mind. "Is it odd?" She asked and he glanced at her. "You told me neither humans nor demons were fond of you. Now you have some human's looking up to you."

He huffed and glared ahead. "I don't do it for them. I have my own business with Naraku. If someone else benefits from it then good for them." Yuuki went quiet, seeing a hateful look in his eyes.

As they neared the gate the guards- "Poster girl!" They halted and Yuuki's eye twitched. The group turned back, Yuuki peeved, to stare in surprise as the Headman from Kasasagi approached them flanked by his guards. The man beamed a smile with open arms, "It _is_ you!"

She frowned at him. "It's Fujiwara Yuuki, not poster girl."

"Right, right, my apologies," he replied with a nod. "What brings you and your friends here? I'm bringing my yearly taxes, and while I don't usually like handing over the sum, this time..." Glancing up at the castle he said, "I've heard some worrisome rumors about the place. Perhaps that's why you and your friends are here?"

"What are taxes?" Shippo asked dumbly before Yuuki could respond.

"Hm?" The Headman looked to him and explained, "Well, if nearby towns wish to have the king's protection, they need to pay him. Therefore we are 'taxed', you see."

He tilted his head confused. "Why don't they just protect themselves?"

Inuyasha put his hands behind his head and replied, "Basically, cowards need to be protected because they're weak."

The Headman smiled with a sweat drop, not arguing, though Yuuki quickly added, "It's more complicated than that."

"Yuuki," she looked to the Headman. "I don't very much want to go into the castle if there's a chance I'll be eaten," he said casually- and rather loudly she realized. She glanced back at the guards with Sango and Miroku, and they noticed their attention on them. "Perhaps I could give you my sum of taxes to give to the king since you're paying him a visit?"

She looked back at him and smirked. "Are you paying us to kill a demon for you?"

He handed her the rather large pouch heavy with gold. "Well, if a demon is in charge I can't very well trust he'll aid my village in a time of need. Most likely he'll come to eat everyone himself."

Yuuki tucked the pouch into Kagome's backpack and replied, "Well we can't argue with that. Go ahead and head back to your village, you'll hear word soon enough of a change of ownership."

"You have my gratitude," he bowed to them before leaving with his guards.

"Seems we're getting plenty of help to get inside," Sango commented as they continued to the front gate.

"We're lucky right now," Kagome said, "but that makes me nervous for the hard battle to come." With the tax sum for Kasasagi, they guards allowed them to pass and they continued up the hill for the castle.


	6. Welcome to Reality

They found that the source of the dismal mood of the city was death.

Once they reached the top of the hill to the castle entrance, the courtyard was a battle field filled with dead demons and castle guards. Before entering, Sango changed into her battle garb. When she returned looking like a true slayer, Yuuki noticed it was nearly identical to Kohaku's outfit. She wondered if they had killed demons together. _I wonder if Kohaku will be here._

The front doors were forced open, parts of it broken. They quietly entered the dark castle and on a breeze through the silence they heard someone quietly praying. Down the entrance hall they came upon a guard that was propped against the wall, holding his bleeding wound through his armor. Kagome rushed to him first followed by Shippo, "Are you all right?"

She knelt beside him and readied to aid him, but he put a hand up to stop her. "Please, don't waste your medicine on me." She looked at him sadly as the others approached. He glanced up at them and said, "You must be the ones the Chief Counselor predicted."

"What happened here?" Miroku asked.

"About three hours ago," he replied, physically becoming weaker as he used up energy to talk. "A demon was spotted taking over the form of a guard he had devoured. We all had our suspicious, but we're bound by oath... With the samurai present, we found our courage and fought, exposing the demons... it was war."

"What happened to the servants?" Sango questioned.

He shook his head, "It was chaos. They fled, some escaped outside, some fled deeper into the castle, hiding in places only servants know of."

"Three hours," Yuuki murmured to herself. She wondered of the little girl O-Toki. _If she had made it outside she would have gone home already._

Then Inuyasha asked, "Can you walk?"

The guard shook his head. "I'll be fine." He then pointed down the right corridor, "You'll find a locked door leading to the upper levels. The king's room is at the top."

"Thank you," Kagome said to him and stood up again.

Miroku stepped forward and put his hand up in prayer, murmuring a blessing for him before they moved on. Using the master key, they accessed the stairs to the upper levels, moving deeper into the thickness of the demonic aura. Yuuki swallowed down her rising paranoia, her instincts telling her to run. Sure enough they passed by more dead soldiers, as well as samurai. Sango murmured in the silence, "Who knows how many more are dead. This castle is vast."

As they walked through the halls, a few demons burst through the tatami doors to catch them off guard. Inuyasha leapt forward with his claws and tore through them, leaving Miroku to burn the rest with his sutra. Kagome stared down at the dead demons in worry, "This isn't good if demons are still roaming around."

Yuuki couldn't help but say, "Who knows how long they've been at this castle. They could be searching for any survivors in hiding." As much as the truth saddened her.

" _Grah!"_ A man's voice was heard from further down the hall, followed by a clang of metal. "Vile demons! _Die!_ "

"Let's go!" Inuyasha took the lead running down the hall. Following the sounds he broke down a door to enter a room. Inside were two samurai facing off with a handful of demons.

Sango darted inside and swung her Hiraikotsu into the backs of a couple of demons, making sickening cracks as their bodied snapped back abnormally. Yuuki followed after her and pulled off her rosary. She flicked her wrist, activating the whip, and with a swing she tore through the remaining few, searing them with holy power. As the demon's spilled and collapsed on the floor, the samurai were able to relax and lower their weapons. They were breathing heavily with their armor beaten something fierce. "You have our gratitude," one of them said.

"Yukimura!" Another samurai came running in through another door. Breathless and wide eyed he forced out, "The second unit in the tower was wiped out!"

"Damn," the samurai Yukimura glared at the ground. "The handful of us left are all that protects this castle..." His men flaking him lowered their heads as well, defeat weighing on them.

Kagome perked up however, "You're Yukimura?"

"Hm?" He glanced at her, "You've heard of me?"

She smiled, "We met with your wives outside the castle." Pulling around her backpack she explained, "She and the other wives of the samurai gave us something to give you all. To help with your spirits."

The men approached and were in awe, pulling out the food with their names on them. Yukimura accepted his with tears welling in his eyes. "Thank you..." He then took a deep breath and regained composure. "You heard that! Our wives are praying for us, so we won't disappoint them!" His men shouted in rejoice and pulled out the remaining food, running off to distribute them.

Yuuki frowned and walked up to Yukimura, gaining his attention. "Whoever is left, you all should leave the castle now and return to your families. We'll be able to handle the situation from here on."

Yukimura sighed heavily. "We cannot."

"There's no point in dying here," Sango insisted.

He raised his head and stood proudly, stating firmly, "We are the samurai. We protect the king and we protect the people. We've failed our king, however we must rescue all those still trapped in this castle. That is our duty, and should we run then we pay that cowardice with our lives."

While it was admirable, Yuuki couldn't help but feel frustration. "What about your wives and children?" She questioned. "You're no good to them dead. You've lost so many already."

"They must understand," Yukimura replied in resolution.

She tch'd in frustration. "Whatever," she grumbled and walked off.

"Yuuki?" Kagome looked after her worried.

 _What's the point in us being here if they just let themselves die?_ Yuuki marched on, leaving the samurai to speak with her friends. It was pointless to argue with the samurai, however it was a waste nonetheless. _The Era's are very different in that perspective._ She frowned, her heart already aching for the wives and children who will miss their loved ones. _Samurai or not, I wouldn't forgive whoever I was with if they let themselves die like that. Is this what Kagome has to deal with all the time? No doubt Inuyasha is the type to sacrifice himself, playing it off as something stupid. If he does that to me I swear-_

Yuuki stopped short on the stairs and caught herself, pressing her hand to her chest. Her eyes widened as she took a breath. _Not good. The demonic energy is making my emotions unstable. No wonder I'm so furious._ With a dangerous line of thought. "Yuuki!" She looked back to see her friends finally catching up. Sango looked at her worried, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Just the negative energy is getting to me."

"To be a samurai is a great honor," Miroku said and she already felt a little guilty. "Don't blame them for their choice. It's difficult, I know, but their families have already accepted their fates."

"Yeah," she could only nod at that.

In the brief silence, there was a distant whimper. Yuuki perked up and Inuyasha said, "I heard it too, up the stairs."

Racing to the top, they spotted the young girl in a servants plain kimono, huddled to the wall and slowly shuffling along. Coming up the stairs so suddenly, she jumped and screamed. "It's okay!" Yuuki put her hands up and smiled at the girl, "Please, it's all right. We're here to help you." The crying girl stared at them and refused to move, trembling in place. Yuuki took initiative and slowly approached, kneeling to her level. At a closer look she could see the girl was covered in dirt and scrapes. "Are you hurt?" She shook her head. Yuuki smiled and the girl seemed to relax. "What's your name?"

"T-Toki..."

"O-Toki?" The girl nodded. "I have a gift for you. It's from your brother."

Toki perked up at that. "J-Jiro?" She sniffled.

She nodded and took out the small pinwheel from her skirt pocket. "He made this for you, and he said to hang in there, okay?"

Overcome with emotions Toki began to cry again as she took the pinwheel. "H-He's okay?"

"Yes, he's fine, your family is all right down below in the town." Yuuki stroked the little girl's head to help sooth her. "Listen, O-Toki, there are samurai down the stairs that are searching for survivors. Go find them and hurry back home, okay?"

"He's just two stories up..."

"Huh?"

"The king," Toki repeated. "Or the demon. He's in the kings room two stories up."

"Thank you, O-Toki," Kagome said to her and the girl hurried off down the stairs.

"We're almost there," Sango murmured.

Yuuki's chest tightened in anticipation, and she wondered if the others were feeling the same. "Yeah," Inuyasha replied, "And he's waiting for us."

Despite Naraku waiting, they ran the rest of the way up. _So close. So close to going home._ Not just for herself, but for that mysterious priestess, too. If what she said was true.

They opened the tatami doors to the king's room, but were blocked by a screen. Then there was a man's chuckle. Yuuki didn't recognize it, but the hairs on the back of her neck rose. "So, you've finally arrived."

Sango growled under her breath, "Naraku..."

They moved around the screen. Yuuki walked close next to Inuyasha, keeping behind him, but staring at the man standing on the king's threshold. He was tall, with long, wavy black hair. His eyes were blood red, skin deathly pale. He wore purple and black robes, and standing next to him was Utsugi in her cursed mask. "You took your time," he said with an easy smile.

Yuuki swallowed, sensing that he was suppressing demonic aura. Like suspending an anvil above their heads. Inuyasha was quick to draw his sword and pointed the massive weapon at him. "Naraku, you summoned Yuuki to this world. Send her back, or I'll lob off your head."

Naraku was unfazed, or rather seemed to ignore him. He was focused on Yuuki herself, and she felt like he was going to devour her whole. "Utsugi, is that the girl you require?" Utsugi only nodded.

Yuuki stepped out from behind Inuyasha and glanced at Utsugi. "She's not an incarnation of yours, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Naraku replied to her surprise.

So, he was humoring her by answering. "Then why did you summon me to this time? Do _you_ want me, or does Utsugi?" Demanding him to send her back would be pointless, she figured.

Naraku chuckled. "You're an intuitive girl. I personally have no need for you, I've merely helped Utsugi summon you here."

Sango whispered to the others, "He's being rather forthcoming."

Inuyasha glanced at Yuuki, "Careful, Yuuki. Don't trust him."

Yuuki stepped forward, raising a hand to show she wouldn't attack. "I have no idea what Utsugi wants with me, and I don't care. I want to go home. Tell me what deal she made with you, and I'll make another."

"What!?" Inuyasha nearly shouted.

Kagome looked to her worried, "Yuuki?"

She ignored them. _It's not like I can muscle him around._ Naraku's smile turned sly, " _Very_ interesting. Utsugi's requested that I keep our deal a secret. However if you offer me a deal worth something, I'll consider it."

Inuyasha eyed Yuuki suspiciously. "Yuuki, don't be stupid."

Yuuki took off her rosary and Utsugi's mask twitched, focusing on it. She offered it to Naraku, "I'll give you my Seishin powers."

Shippo shouted, "What!?"

"Yuuki," Kagome said, "you can't make deals with Naraku like this! He'll just betray you!"

"I don't have very many options," she replied evenly.

"Disgraceful..." Yuuki glanced over at Utsugi.

"I don't care about these abilities. They're useless to me in my world. You summoned me here and it can't be for anything good considering you're with Naraku, a notorious evil demon. Someone else with Seishin powers I would think _you're_ the disgraceful one, coward."

Utsugi twitched and she knew she got to her. Naraku smirked back at Utsugi and she looked to him. "A tempting proposition. I wouldn't have considered this turn of events. You're an interesting one." For a moment Yuuki felt hopeful, but when Naraku looked back at her... "Unfortunately your mere powers are still weak, and aren't worth much to me. Besides, I believe you'll prove useful to me."

Utsugi was quick to turn to him. "She's mine."

Yuuki was suddenly jerked back and she realized Inuyasha pulled her back and stepped in front of her. "You really are stupid, you know that?"

"It was the best option I had," she argued back. She then sighed, "Although it's useless now." Still, it was Utsugi with Naraku's help she was summoned here. She needed them to get back home.

"So now it's my turn. _Wind Scar!"_ Without much warning Inuyasha swung his glaive and the streaks of raw power raced towards Naraku and Utsugi in the confined space.

They remained still and allowed the Wind Scar to collide with a barrier protecting them. " _Hiraikotsu!_ " Sango hurled her weapon and Miroku joined in, throwing out his sacred sutra. The combined weapons stuck to the barrier for a moment but then were repelled.

"It's not working!" Shippo cried helplessly. "He's gotten stronger since last time!"

"Yuuki," she looked over to Kagome as she readied her arrow. "Use your talisman!"

"Right," Yuuki closed her eyes and fished the talisman out from her pocket. She folded her hands around it in prayer as her Seishin powers outlined her body. Kagome's arrow outlined in the same energy fired at Naraku. Kagome's pink aura and Yuuki's white Seishin powers swirled around the arrow and struck Naraku's barrier. Naraku made sure to keep close eye on it. It fought furiously against his power, refusing to be deterred, and the metal tip created a crack. Instead of worrying, Naraku only grinned.

"Just like Kagura said," he murmured. "I've seen enough." With a wave of his arm a force repelled the arrow and knocked them all off their feet, furniture getting kicked up and everything slamming against the back wall.

Yuuki cried out from pain, but refused to stop and pulled off her rosary. She threw them into the air and clapped her hands, " _Bullet Storm!_ "

" _Wind Scar!_ " Again the attacks raced towards them, but were stopped by the barrier.

"So pitifully weak," Naraku commented as he raised his arms. From the depth of his sleeves a purple smoke flew out and raced towards them.

"Miasma!" Sango shouted and put on her mask. "Hold your breath!"

Yuuki's eyes widened, seeing the purple cloud rushed at them too quickly. There was a crash from their side and before their eyes a red rosary was tossed into their view. The fiery beads hung in the air and expanded, circling in place. The miasma crashed into the rosary's fiery barrier in an unforgiving torrent. The heat and force cause them all to flinch, and then standing in front of them was a priestess.

Yuuki went wide eyed. "It's you!"

The woman she shared a soul with glanced back at her. "It's become too dangerous. You must leave, now!" She then pulled out a sutra and whispered a chant into it.

Naraku's laughter was heard. "Lady Kinya, you've saved me some trouble by coming to me first."

Her sutra shined with a white light. Reaching her hand into that light, she pulled out a sheathed katana. Sango gasped at the sight of it, "It can't be..."

Kinya drew the silver gleaming blade and the sheath disappeared in glittering light. At once she seized her rosary and withdrew the barrier, then with a single swing of the katana a power sliced through the miasma and burned it away. Naraku was revealed once again, "You will die a painful death, priestess." It was a promise.

Kinya tucked the rosary into the sleeve of her haori and pulled out more sutra. She whispered into them and then flung them at Yuuki and the others, the slips of paper sticking to their foreheads. Inuyasha blinked, "Wait, what the-!?"

" _Begone!_ " Kinya's voice rang in their ears and everything went white.

" _Gyaah!_ "

All at once Yuuki and her friends shot upright. They froze, listening to peaceful sounds of a village; children laughing, wagons rolling by with horse's hooves clopping. They looked around and realized they were in a hut, the women in futons and all of them wearing wetted cloths on their foreheads. "Hm?" They all turned to see an old man peek into the hut through the door. "Oh, you are all awake?" He smiled, "I'm glad."

Yuuki blinked, "Umm..."

"How in the hell...?" Inuyasha looked around frantically to make sure he had everything.

"What happened to us?" Shippo asked baffled.

"Well, I don't know," the old man replied. The rest of them quickly checked their affairs while he checked on a pot of tea. "My name is Kichibei. I found you all on the ground at the entrance of the village this morning. Would anyone like some tea?"

"Uh- yes, please," Kagome replied.

Once everything was accounted for, they sat for a moment. "It must have been that priestess' doing," Sango concluded.

"She did seem powerful," Shippo said and Inuyasha huffed.

"If she faced Naraku alone then she's screwed."

"Hopefully not," Yuuki mumbled. The thought of it had guilt weighing on her.

Kichibei passed around cups of hot tea and Kagome looked over at her. "Yuuki, was that the priestess you were seeing in your sleep?"

She nodded, staring down at her cup. "She had told me she was coming to help us fight Naraku... I didn't think she'd send us away like that."

"I recognized her sword," Sango said and they all looked to her surprised. "It was described in a scripture back in my village. Ginkkoken, the silver moonlit blade, a powerful holy sword that belonged to a high priestess. It was said to have disappeared with her a long time ago. If she can wield that sword then she might've been able to get away."

Miroku turned to the old man that was sitting quietly on the side. "Excuse me, what day is it?"

"Hm? It's the tenth day of the month."

"And where might we be?"

"Ringo Village."

Miroku's shoulders dropped. "I see..."

Sango sighed heavily, "We're on the other side of the mountains... far from the castle town. It'll take days to get back."

Kichibei watched them sadly as they all fell silent, heavy with regret and frustration. Hearing the birds chirping outside Miroku said, "I wish I could say it's a good morning."

Kagome made an effort and lifted her head, "Is everyone okay at least?"

"I guess," Shippo replied and no one glanced at her. "We weren't able to destroy Naraku…"

Yuuki stood up and headed for the door. "Yuuki?" Sango questioned.

"I need to be alone for a moment." Without a glance back she left.

They stared after her sadly as she left the hut. "Poor Yuuki," Sango murmured.

"To be so close yet so far from going home," Miroku added. "She must feel the weight of hopelessness we all once felt when facing Naraku."

* * *

"You're so slow! Loser!"

"Shut up!"

Two kids ran by her as she slowly walked the road, kicking a pebble as she went. She sighed heavily. _What was I even hoping for?_ Lifting her head she noticed a path leading up a hill. Wishing to be more secluded with her thoughts she followed it up. A demon that wipes out entire villages, creates unbreakable curses, creates other _beings_ , can summon her through _time_... For how hopeful she had been, she wished the encounter with Naraku was a bit more climatic than what it was.

At the top of the hill was a small shrine housed beneath a walnut tree. Yuuki decided to take a seat in the shade with the shrine. _That was the best bargain I had_ , she thought despondently. _He appeared genuinely interested for a moment..._ However he had other plans with her? Was he just teasing Utsugi? What about Kinya? _He said she saved him time by going to her... Is it my fault if she's killed?_

Endless questions were swarming in her head, and her heart was heavy with disappointment. Crushed hopes. She rested her head against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. She drowned it out. With effort she cleared her head and slowed her heart rate, slipping into meditation.

She must have sat there for some hours. The shadow of the tree shifted and exposed her to the sun. There were faint footsteps and the presence eased her out of her meditation and her eyes fluttered open. She perked up in surprise, "Grandpa Kakuju?"

"Yuuki," he tilted his head, "What's wrong? You seem melancholic."

Yuuki sighed deeply. Kakuju sat with her as she went over the trip to the castle town, venting a little. Crossing her arms she held onto her sleeves tight. "They all seem so powerful to me," she said, staring at the leaves above them. "Maybe I'm just especially weak... We couldn't touch Naraku- his barrier is unbreakable. I'm starting to realize it won't be simple... I might be here for a long time."

Kakuju hummed, nodding to her story. "Times like these are especially trying. However, it appears fate is in your favor."

"Why, because of Kinya saving our asses?"

Kakuju chuckled. "Well, you're not wrong... In Lady Kinya sending you to this village, she sent you to me. And I can help you learn how to break this Naraku's barrier."

Yuuki lurched forward, having choked on air hearing that. She turned to him wide eyed, "A-are you serious? A barrier as strong as Naraku's?"

He chuckled again at her reaction. "Yuuki, I've told you that Seishin is a special power that lives in all beings. In the trees, the animals, the people. Only a select few can harness and wield it's raw power because it is so great. I can teach you a technique to break through any barrier, however you will need to retrieve something specific to help you. Do you see the mountain near us?" Yuuki looked to the east to see the sharp looming mountain that was fairly close to the village. "That is Mount Houoh. At the peak is a special tree called the Megatama tree. You will need to get one of its fruits and bring it back."

"A Megatama fruit," Yuuki's body was humming with hope once again despite herself. "I just need to get a fruit from the top of the mountain and you can teach me how to break _all_ barriers?" He nodded with a hum. She shot to her feet, "Grandpa, can I trust you to stay here?"

He chuckled, "Well, it depends on how fast you can get back here. I am very old you know."

"I'll be back soon!" She promised and ran off.

Running as fast as she could down the hill she nearly slipped and tumbled, barely catching her footing and reaching the bottom. She found her friends roaming the town together and yelled, "Guys!"

They all turned around surprised as she slowed, breathing hard and struggling to catch her breath. "There you are, damn," Inuyasha commented as he crossed his arms. "I thought you-"

"Grandpa Kakuju can teach me how to break any barrier!" She forced out once she had the breath.

They were caught off guard. "Any barrier?" Miroku questioned.

"Are you serious?" Kagome asked excitedly.

Still panting, Yuuki pointed to the mountain. "On the top of that mountain is a tree that has a special fruit. If I can get that then Kakuju can help me learn how to break any barrier."

"Ah, I see," Miroku brought a hand to his chin as he looked to the mountain. "Mount Houoh is a sacred mountain where monks and priests gather for their training. It's rumored to have mysterious spiritual properties that they're unable to explain. I believe I know the way from here."

"Well, if we're all in agreement," Sango said with a smile, "Let's head out now."

Miroku took the lead to Mount Houoh. Starting from the base of the mountain the air was cleaner with a pure presence, showing how powerful the mountains holy aura was. Along the path about halfway up, there was a rundown hut with a water well. Looking over the place Shippo asked, "Is this the place where monks stay for their training? What a dump."

"Monks don't need luxury," Miroku said proudly. "They only need a roof to protect against the rain."

"Then did _you_ stay here for training?" He inquired and Miroku went silent at that.

"Course not!" Inuyasha replied for him as they all continued walking. "All the women are back in the city."

"Hey now!" He frowned at him. "There's no need for hostility, I did my own training in the East. Staying here wasn't a part of my regimen, though I would have happily participated."

They all basically ignored him and Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome. "What are you staring at?" Miroku pouted a little.

"Mm... I'm not sure," she began carefully, eyeing the top of the mountain, "but it feels like there's someone watching us."

"I can feel it, too," Yuuki added, following her line of sight.

"It's said that there is a spirit that protects this mountain," Miroku explained. "It's possible that the holy power is coming from the spirit itself."

Looking over Sango said, "More than likely the spirit won't allow us to take a fruit from the tree. It might be difficult for us."

Proceeding on guard, they weaved through tunnels on the mountainside and climbed cliffs. Yuuki found herself panting from the thinning air the higher they went. She glanced around to check on the others and was surprised to see Inuyasha in the back with Shippo. "Inuyasha? Shippo? Are you guys okay?"

Inuyasha was breathing heavy himself. "I don't think I can go any further. The spiritual power here is too much." Looking down at Shippo beside him he added, "Shippo's already out for the count."

The poor fox demon was lying on the ground dizzy and nauseous. "I'm gonna be sick..."

"Mew..." Sango looked down in worry to see Kirara collapse beside her. "Oh no, Kirara can't go on either."

"Inuyasha, stay back with Shippo and Kirara," Miroku instructed. "We'll continue the rest of the way."

"Yeah, fine," Inuyasha grunted as he picked up the two limp demons and headed back down the mountain for them.

The four humans were left, however Sango eventually couldn't go on. "My body feels too heavy," she said, straining to breath. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're fine, Sango," Kagome assured. "Even Miroku's having a hard time."

He sighed. "The spiritual powers are stronger than I anticipated. I doubt I'll be able to go on much further either." He helped Sango get to her feet and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Kagome, you and Yuuki go on and try to get the fruit from the mountain. Perhaps if you make it to the top the guardian spirit will allow you to take one."

"Yeah, hopefully," Yuuki replied and pushed on.

Miroku retreated with Sango and Kagome and Yuuki were left by themselves, straining to breathe however were both on their feet. "It's been a while since it was just the two of us, huh?" Kagome said for light conversation.

Yuuki glanced at her and smiled back, "Yeah... This reminds me the first time I climbed the steps to your shrine when we were kids." The two of them laughed breathlessly at the memory. "I remember thinking it was so stupid, I was so tired I had such an attitude after."

"Did you?" She laughed, "I couldn't tell the difference with you."

They eventually came to a stop to try and catch their breath. "My body feels like lead," Yuuki panted.

"Same," Kagome looked forward and said, "We should be almost there... The path turns up ahead around the peak." They then both looked down the mountain side. "Oh, wow, that's a long way..."

"Don't slip." They could spot the others halfway down and waved. Sango and Miroku waved back with Shippo jumping lively. Yuuki glanced at them, but found herself staring at Inuyasha. Was he staring back? "He must be frustrated," Kagome glanced at her, "Not being able to make it to the top."

Kagome watched her friend's face, seeing a subtle change. She smiled, "You seem to be getting along with him better than before."

Yuuki blinked and her face went back to normal, as if coming back to her senses. Kagome couldn't mistake the light blush though. "It's easier, but he's still a lousy dog. Loud and annoying, rushing in head first."

Kagome laughed a little at that, looking back down at him. "He has his tendencies, but he's good at heart."

Yuuki glanced over at her friend. She was staring at Inuyasha with a soft expression, a smile she hadn't seen before. Yuuki swallowed, her chest feeling tight. _It's not like she actually likes Inuyasha, right?_ Kagome made up the story that Inuyasha was her boyfriend as an excuse for their friends. However they didn't actually seem like a couple. Yuuki quickly shook her head, _Not that it matters to me._ "Come on, we're almost there."

Kagome nodded, "Right!"

Yuuki held out her hand and Kagome took it. Together they pushed through whatever force was fighting against them. Staggering feet and legs trembling, they made it around the bend to the top. Regardless of the tremendous effort it took to breathe, Kagome still smiled and laughed a bit, "It's a cute little bonzai tree."

Yuuki glanced around with one eye forced shut. "I don't see any spirit..."

"Maybe it won't show itself," Kagome replied. "Making it to the top like this might show our worth."

They inched forward and tried to kneel down, but both collapsed on their hands and knees. Kagome focused on her breathing while Yuuki grit her teeth, slowly reaching out with a shaky arm to the Megatama tree. There were tiny red fruits in the shape of yin yang symbols. Once she managed to pick one off, a ferocious wind picked up and they were unable to breathe for a moment.

"I commend you on your spiritual strength." A deep voice spoke to them and they peeked up, seeing a small tornado morph into a humanoid figure above them. "Many neophytes come seeing the fruit of the Megatama. Many fail. You Priestess' have shown your worth. You are free to take the Megatama fruit." And with that the spirit disappeared along with the wind.

It was a bit easier to breathe for them and they were able to get back to their feet. Looking at the small fruit in her hand Yuuki said, "This took a bit longer than I would like."

"At least we have it now," Kagome encouraged as they headed back. "It will take a few days to get back to the castle, but you'll be able to break Naraku's barrier now- assuming he's still there."

"Well, he did mention he had other plans for me," Yuuki slipped the fruit in her skirt pocket. "And I know Utsugi doesn't want to lose me, so they most likely won't be difficult to find." Once they walked back down the bend, they spotted their friends down below again and Kagome waved. Yuuki said, "I wonder if we just jump they'll catch us," and Kagome laughed.

"Don't make me laugh, my legs are still weak."

* * *

Pushing through their exhaustion, the group made an effort to hurry back to the town and made it by sunset. Yuuki took the lead up the hill to the walnut tree and was relieved to see Kakuju still there. "Well, I'm surprised you're back so soon," he commented. "Did you retrieve the fruit?"

"Yes," she pulled it out to show him and he hummed.

"You made it to the top. That is very impressive. Both you and your friend." Yuuki and Kagome glanced at each other in surprise. How was it that he knew certain things? "For the strength of every person that reaches the top of Mount Houoh, the trial set by the spirit guardian becomes that much more difficult. Very powerful warrior monks and priestess' from hundreds of years ago have made it to the top. It's nearly impossible to do such a feat anymore. Be proud of yourselves."

"Thank you, Grandpa Kakuju," Kagome replied.

Yuuki nodded as well, unsure of how to take the information. Kakuju instructed, "Swallow the fruit, then stand next to me as you've done before." Yuuki popped the rock hard fruit in her mouth and swallowed it whole. With the vibrant orange sunset beating down on them, her friends watched as Yuuki stood in front of Kakuju, him taking her hands in his. She closed her eyes and opened her mind.

A light shone beneath them, their hair and clothes swaying again by a building force. Light shot up around them and turned translucent, twisting upwards like heat waves, thrashing their clothes and hair furiously. The energies from them then spun up and disappeared into the sky. They calmed down at once and Yuuki slowly opened her eyes, the new information flooding her mind almost painfully. "There," Kakuju's voice was a bit raspy. "Now you should know how to use the Seishin powers to dispel barriers."

"All right!" Shippo cheered happily. "This time we'll destroy Naraku for sure!"

While her friends were happy, Yuuki was staring down at Kakuju. "Grandpa Kakuju...?" She could feel his hands trembling around hers.

His breathing was also a bit labored. "Sorry, dear..." With a grunt he collapsed.

"Grandpa!"

Kagome gasped, "Oh no!"

They rushed over as Yuuki knelt to him, helping him sit up. She looked him over wide eyed with worry, "Hey, are you okay? Grandpa? Kakuju?"

"Don't kick the bucket yet, old man," Inuyasha said as Miroku knelt with them and examined him.

"He doesn't appear sick," Miroku said to her and she looked at him anxiously. He smiled sympathetically, "He'll be all right, he's just exhausted." Frowning down at him he asked, "Grandpa Kakuju, was that the Tamashii no kyouyuu?"

After a cough, Kakuju replied, "You're a knowledgeable monk. You indeed have powerful friends, Yuuki."

"I don't understand, what is that?" Yuuki demanded.

"It means sharing of souls," Miroku explained. "It's a powerful knowledge sharing technique, though it's dangerous to do and consumes a lot of energy. Only those with spiritual abilities are able to accomplish it."

She looked down at Kakuju in horror while he stared up at her innocently. "Grandpa, you used that technique on me three times now. I appreciate your help, and I wouldn't have even gotten here without you, but please save your strength."

He chuckled, "Oh, it's been a while since anyone's fretted over me. Worry not," he said, patting her on the head. "I wouldn't have lived this long to begin with if I wasn't resilient." He attempted to get up with a grunt, but failed. "Oh, but I suppose that one was a bit more than I anticipated. " With a hum, he looked up and stared at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha stared back at him lazily for a moment. Eventually he blinked and realized, "Wait, you want me to carry you!?"

Kagome smiled at him sympathetically and said, "Would you please, Inuyasha? We'd all appreciate it."

"The inn I'm staying in isn't far," Kakuju promised. He then held his arms out to him like a child.

Annoyed and grumbling, Inuyasha decided to cave. "Only because you're useful to us," he said stubbornly as he effortlessly scooped the old man up.

"Oo, so strong," Kakuju commented, wrapping his arms around Inuyasha's neck.

Shippo laughed openly, irking Inuyasha, while the other's shielded their giggles. "Just keep your mouth shut or I'm dropping you." Kakuju hummed in mock intimidation.

Yuuki hurried to Inuyasha's side. "Thank you, Inuyasha," he glanced down at her and was surprised to see a full genuine smile on her face. "I really appreciate it."

"W-Whatever," brushing it off he carried the old man down the hill ahead of the others.

Sango stared at Yuuki, watching her face closely, examining her expression as she stared after Inuyasha. She furrowed her brows up. She couldn't... did she? She looked over at Kagome for conformation. Kagome was watching Yuuki as well. When she noticed Sango staring at her, she only gave a smile. Sango blinked, feeling like she was missing something. But if Kagome was okay, she supposed the situation was fine.

The group stayed the night Kichibei's hut and headed out in the grey dawn. The quickest way was a straight shot through the mountain range. It would still take a few days, however with Kagome piggy backing on Inuyasha, Yuuki riding Shippo's form of a goose, and Miroku and Sango riding Kirara, they made good time in the daylight. The Highway past Tsuzumi Village happened to be cleared as well, and they were able to make it back to the castle town in three days.

However, as they approached the atmosphere was changed; colder, and it set them on edge. They approached the first house before the bridge, seeing it trashed; holes in the roof, the door was ripped away, deserted with dishware sprawled out through the door into the street. "Was this house so dilapidated last time we were here?" Yuuki questioned as they passed by.

"I think it was a lot nicer before," Shippo replied from Kagome's shoulder.

"I wonder if a burglar got in there," Sango said as they walked up to the bridge. They then stopped, staring out at the castle town, seeing the other housing before them decrepit as the one they passed. "But… All the other houses look pretty ruined, too," she murmured.

"Yes, the whole town feels pretty desolate," Kagome said, staring in worry. "I wonder if it's because of Naraku."

"It has to be," Miroku replied. "We let a witness escape the castle. He must have punished the town. If Naraku is allowed to continue to sit in the castle, this town will soon…"

"If everyone's not dead already," Inuyasha said quietly, speaking everyone's minds, and then walked ahead of them.

They hurried into the village and stopped when they turned a corner, seeing Kagura there in the middle of the street. She was smiling at them slightly annoyed, tapping her closed fan on her chin. "You sure kept me waiting. I was just about to fall asleep."

Once Yuuki laid her eyes on her she was seeing red. "Tame for a wakeup call, bitch," she growled and marched to the front to face her.

"Right, the cripple of the group," she chuckled and asked in sarcastic concern, "Do you still have a bandage on?" In response Yuuki pulled off her rosary and cracked her whip at the ground, creating a large gash. Kagura only smirked, an excited glint in her eye.

"Why are you even here, Kagura?" Miroku asked suspiciously.

"It's not like you to face us alone," Sango added.

"I only want one thing," she replied. She then pointed with her fan at Yuuki and said, "I'm here to take your soul."

Yuuki barked a laugh, "You think you can do it by yourself? Fucking try."

"It's simple enough when you can't touch me," she said and opened her fan, hiding her amused smile behind it. Yuuki smirked and Kagura narrowed her eyes. "Go ahead and try. I wouldn't mind seeing the looks of despair on your faces."

Inuyasha whipped out his Tessaiga and said, "Yuuki, take care of it quickly!"

"Right," Confidence was flooding out of her as she put her rosary back on. She then closed her eyes and concentrated her power.

Kagura wasn't giving them a chance and shouted, " _Dance of Blades!_ " With a wave of her fan the wind whipped up and created blades flying at them.

Yuuki remained immobile, focusing as Inuyasha shouted, " _Wind Scar!"_ His attack cancelled out Kagura's to her annoyance.

Yuuki's Seishin powers outlined her body and she held her arms out wide open. They could see the air shift around her like heat waves. She snapped her eyes open and shouted, " _Spirit's Rage!"_ The translucent energy shot out like tendrils at Kagura. Kagura narrowed her eyes, and then gasped as the invisible force collided with the barrier, revealing it before shattering it like glass. "Now!"

" _Hiraikotsu!_ " Sango flung her Hiraikotsu at Kagura, but demons flew out of the woodworks to take the blow for her.

" _Wind Scar!"_

Inuyasha swung his blade and unleashed his attack again, but Kagura smirked and waved her fan. " _Dance of the Dragon!_ " The air twisted in a tornado and warped Inuyasha's attack, sending it right back at them.

They ran to dodge and Yuuki tossed up her rosary. She clapped her hands and scattered the beads at her, creating a distraction as Kagura focused on dodging. Kagome then knocked back and arrow and fired in her confusion. Kagura smirked and plucked a feather from her hair, transforming it to a giant size. "You won't get away!" Miroku shouted and then removed the rosary from his hand. " _Wind Tunnel!_ "

"Hang on to something!" Kagome shouted.

Inuyasha jumped over to her and grabbed a hold of her, making sure she didn't get sucked into the void Miroku unleashed. Shippo shouted as Yuuki grabbed onto a side of a building, snagging him by the tail. Sango and the transformed Kirara stayed close to the ground, hugging tightly. Kagura glared down at Miroku as she was slowly getting pulled in by his hand tunnel. She then smirked as Saimyosho came out of nowhere, flying straight for Miroku. "Miroku!" Sango shouted and he was forced to close his hand. Yuuki lashed out with her rosary, killing the Saimyosho easily.

"Count yourself lucky," Kagura called down to them. Yuuki glared up at her and she smirked back. "You just made yourself useful by being alive."

"Get back here!" Inuyasha shouted as she flew off. "Dammit!"

"That was amazing work, Yuuki," Kagome said to her, gaining her attention.

"Thanks," she replied and glared after Kagura, "but it sounds like I just gave Naraku some new ideas."

"And since Kagura got away, Naraku will now know that we can break barriers," Sango added.

"So what?" Inuyasha questioned.

"So," Miroku replied trying to be patient, "even though we can break the barrier and attack Naraku, he'll become more evasive and become more difficult to find."

"We can't worry about that now," Inuyasha argued. "Kagura is here which means Naraku must still be here. All we have to do is hurry up to the castle and kill him once and for all!"

"Yeah!" Shippo chimed in excitement.

They regrouped and hurried through the town to the castle. The place was deserted, no people, no sounds, they didn't even come across demons when they passed through the front gates. The castle was as wrecked as the town. Inuyasha sniffed as he ran ahead, knowing that path already. The others ran behind him, but Yuuki stopped at the stairs. She noticed something colorful on the ground and looked down, seeing the pinwheel. Her eyes widened in horror. "Toki…"

Kagome stopped, hearing Yuuki's voice, and looked back at her confused. "Yuuki? What is it?"

The others stopped and turned back as well, seeing Yuuki kneel and pick up the pinwheel. "This is the pinwheel I brought to Toki for Jiro…"

Kagome stared down at her friend sadly. "Oh no…"

"I guess she wasn't able to escape," Sango said quietly and Yuuki's grip tightened on the pinwheel.

"That might not be the case," Miroku spoke up. "She may have dropped it when she fled the castle. She may have reunited with her brother."

May have. Yuuki stared down at the pinwheel sadly. However in her heart she knew she didn't make it. _The town is in ruin. Naraku must have wiped the place out once we disappeared._ Shippo hopped into her view and he smiled up at her. "Maybe it fell out of her pocket when she was running away."

Yuuki made an effort to smile back. "Yeah. You're right."

"Either way, we need to get to Naraku," Inuyasha said and she looked up at him. She only nodded and he took the lead again. Naraku and Utsugi... _Whatever their plans are for me, I need to find a way to beat them._


	7. First Impressions

The castle was a mess with collapsed stairs and walkways. It wasn't as straight forward as before for the group, and Inuyasha was overwhelmed with Naraku's scent. It took a joint effort to navigate and Miroku was leading them down a hall until he stopped, putting his hand up signaling to stay back. They all pressed against the wall as he peeked around the corner. There was a faint hum and Miroku whispered back to them, "Saimyosho down this hallway, we can't go up from here."

"So he's still patrolling the area," Sango said to herself. "We'll need to backtrack, find a way underneath them to go back up."

"Damn this is annoying," Inuyasha grumbled, but they followed Yuuki back down the hallway to try again.

Finding a path to pass under the Saimyosho undetected, they managed to find a stairwell still intact to get back up. They were making good momentum until Yuuki came to a sudden halt upon entering a room. Inuyasha nearly ran into her, making Kagome bump into his back. "Why'd you stop!?" He snapped from annoyance.

Yuuki glanced at him briefly, but stared ahead of herself in disbelief. "Z-zombies?"

"Undead?" Sango questioned in alarm.

Yuuki and Inuyasha backed out of the doorway so the others could witness the slow, staggering corpses of servants and samurai. They slowly turned their heads towards them, a red light glowing in their eye sockets. Their skin was decayed and black, and more of them were slowly filing into the room from other doorways. "This isn't good," Miroku commented gravely. "Undead can sense the vitality of the living. They're slow, but Naraku will have numbers and they'll swarm to us."

"Well then," Inuyasha drew his Tessaiga and readied it at the corpses. "Guess I'll start mowing them down."

Yuuki frowned at him, "Don't be so quick to fight."

Glaring back at her he shot back, "Well if we do _nothing_ then we're cornered."

"Yuuki's right, Inuyasha," Sango spoke up and they looked to her. "Cut them down and they'll merely rise again. It will be a waste of time trying to fight them all, considering how many must be in this castle. Our best bet is to out run them."

"If we separate we'll have a better chance of losing them," Miroku added and she nodded to him.

"All right," facing off with the undead again Inuyasha said, "You guys go on ahead; I'll keep them busy so they can't follow."

Kagome instinctively became worried, a hand drawing to her chest. "But Inuyasha-"

"I'll be right behind you," he promised, the zombies closing in.

"We'll regroup at the castle tower," Miroku said and they ran off, leaving Inuyasha to cut down the horde that formed.

As they ran Yuuki said to them, "Kagome and I will take Shippo, Sango and Miroku with Kirara."

"Right," they all agreed, and more undead were filtering into the narrow hall from various rooms. Kagome snagged up Shippo as they ducked down another hall while Miroku threw his sutra, Sango following up behind him.

Unfortunately it was a dead end for Yuuki and Kagome, but they kept running. The undead may have been slow to move due to the rigor mortis fighting the black magic, however they appeared quick in the mind. Aware of where they were, a sword was stabbed through a tatami door, nearly stabbing Kagome in the face as she yelped and dodged. "That was too close!" Shippo cried, clutching to Kagome's chest fearfully.

They stopped at the dead end and Kagome turned to Yuuki, "What do we do?"

Yuuki looked back down the hall to see corpses emerging, more coming down from the end of the hall. She glanced around and on a whim opened a door next to them, "Inside!" Kagome ran in and Yuuki shut the door behind them, making sure to grab dressers and other available furniture to block the door.

"Now we're trapped!" Shippo shouted and jumped out of Kagome's arms, looking around the enclosed room. "What now? We can't fight out at this point."

"We're fine, Shippo," Kagome assured as she looked around as well. She then gasped in delight, spotting a weakness in a wall. "I got it, Yuuki, hold the door down!"

"On it," she replied as she was already bracing her blockade, the door rattling as the undead tried to get in.

Kagome got on her knees and started ripping away at the wood panels, tearing off the broken pieces. Shippo pounced next to her and dug furiously with her, determined to be helpful in their escape. A sword stabbed through the door and Yuuki ducked down, grinding her teeth as she pushed against the rattling furniture. They started breaking and tearing down the doors, pushing against one another to try and climb inside.

Once the hold into the next room was large enough, Shippo ran through and called back, "It's empty!"

Yuuki waited until Kagome crawled through first before darting away, rolling towards the hole while the blockade collapsed. Once she crawled through, Kagome picked up Shippo again and they ran out of the room back up the hall, leaving behind the mass of zombies that slowly caught on. "I think we can reach the castle tower if we go this way," Kagome said before rounding a corner.

Yuuki followed after her and watched as they rounded another corner, only for Kagome to cry out in surprise and quickly backpedal. A rather large samurai corpse advanced on them with his katana ready. " _Fox fire!_ " Shippo summoned a ball of blue flame in his panic, but it saved them as it scared off the samurai. Yuuki bolted for them and jumped into action, kicking her foot through the fire and knocking the undead down.

"Other way!" Kagome called as she ran down the other hall with broken flooring. Holding tight onto Shippo, she ran and jumped the gap, making it to the other side. Yuuki ran after her and jumped as well, but as her foot touched the other side the flooring broke away on her and she fell. "Yuuki!" They both cried out.

Yuuki fell and landed on her back hard on the floor below. The wind was knocked out of her for a moment and she coughed until she gained her breath back. Shippo hopped out of Kagome's arms and they both knelt to the hole, peering down at her. "Are you okay?" Shippo called down.

"I-I'm fine," she called back, slowly getting back to her feet. Looking herself over she saw a few scrapes and cuts, nothing gushing or broken thankfully. A quick look around and there were zombies slowly emerging from the hall ahead of her. Looking up at them she said, "The hole will keep them from following you, go on and we'll meet at the tower!"

Kagome nodded, trusting her friend. "Please stay safe," she said before disappearing.

"Good luck!" Shippo went after her.

Yuuki followed after them and glanced back, seeing the large samurai jumped down from the hole. _Stairs, stairs, I need stairs!_ The first staircase she found was partially collapsed, however she found herself with no other option with all the zombies massing behind her and nowhere else to go. Sprinting ahead, she ran onto the wall and kicked off, barely reaching the steps. She hooked on with her arms and quickly climbed up, the undead throwing broken wood and stabbing at her with spears. Running up the remaining stairs to the next level, she didn't see any sign of Kagome or the others. _Hopefully they all are making it to the tower without too many complications._

She continued on without seeing many undead. Taking the straightest shot she could, she entered a room and came to a sudden halt, staring wide eyed at a lithe man in black robes. _Ah, fuck me._

The man that Yuuki could only assume was one of Naraku's lackeys grinned at her with jagged teeth. "Ah, I'm lucky enough to find one." She sensed the demonic aura swirling around her and she glanced back, seeing the doors shut on their own.

She pulled of her rosary and faced off with him. "Who are you? Naraku's Incarnation?"

He tilted his head sharply in a broken angle, his long black hair falling down. "I was born from the corpses of samurai Naraku devoured. I am Shiimaru." He then held his arm out with palm open, and a katana blade slowly emerged from it. Literally an extension of his arm.

A sigh slipped from her nose. She wondered if it was Naraku's plan all along to force them to split up and encounter his incarnations. She glanced around the room to judge its size. Shiimaru would be fine wielding his sword, however her rosary was a longer ranged weapon. _Sango has a long ranged weapon, and she's able to fight in confined spaces just fine._ Body tight, minimal movement while using her arm and wrist to navigate her weapon. _No one is going to be here to help me._ She had plenty of athleticism and flexibility thanks to her acrobatics club. Acro dancing, aerial silk performing, and most importantly rhythmic gymnastics with the ribbon wand would be her keys to successfully beating him and moving on to the others.

Shiimaru moved first, and he moved fast. Yuuki was caught off guard and was forced to retreat from him first as he swung his sword around wildly. She bared her teeth and jumped back. With a twirl and a flick of her wrist her rosary whipped at the incarnation.

* * *

It was Naraku's stench, there was no mistaking it.

Sesshomaru was flying across the dusk sky above the derelict castle town. With his mokomoko flowing behind him, Jaken was snuggled in the pure white pelt after he had insisted that he should join his lord. Sesshomaru would have preferred to go alone, however Jaken claimed he knew the castle grounds, so he supposed that his servant would be useful. He flew over the castle and landed in the garden around the back, landing lightly on his feet and walking for the back entrance.

Sesshomaru's mokomoko flicked and flung Jaken off into the sands. He yelped as he was tossed and scrambled to his feet, staring up at the castle surprised. "We're already here!" Looking after his lord, he panicked when he spotted the end of his mokomoko disappearing around the corner inside. "W-Wait for me, Lord Sesshomaru!" He wailed running after him.

Sesshomaru was unbothered as Jaken ran around him to assume the lead of the group. He glanced down to see Jaken mumbling to himself, looking up and down halls before making a decision. Jaken appeared to know his way, however he was still slower than Sesshomaru would have liked. _Naraku's scent is overwhelming this castle. Finding him will not be as easy as I would like._ While mildly frustrating, he knew how to keep composure. Naraku would face his wrath sooner or later.

As Jaken raced up a rotting staircase, he called back to his lord, "It's strange that we're not being attacked by any demons." As Sesshomaru reached the top of the stairs he spotted Jaken peering into a room before scurrying off. "You would think Naraku would have put up a sort of defense since he's cornered now."

Right as Jaken passed by a room, a katana cleanly cut through a tatami door and stabbed through Jaken's cap. The imp froze, glanced up, and then panicked with a yell. Flailing he ran while Sesshomaru paused, watching the undead soldier tear down the doors. The scent of rotten flesh was faint among Naraku's odor, however he anticipated the smell to become stronger further in. _An army of undead to slow me down with overwhelming numbers. A feeble attempt._ Jaken moved out of his way while he drew his Tokijin. While his Tenseiga would be better fitted, Sesshomaru refused to allow sheer numbers of undead to force him to change to his less desired weapon.

He allowed the undead to approach him slowly, and once close enough in a single swing he cut them down. With a flick of his sword he flung off the black blood that stained his blade. Jaken hurried to his side and inspected the bodies. "These are merely humans. What is Naraku planning? They're no match for us; what good did he think these would do?" He then gasped in surprise and Sesshomaru looked down.

From the severed bodies a small light that they could only assume was a soul floated up and away. "You freed their souls with just your Tokijin?" Jaken questioned. "That's a rather cheap resurrection spell. No- more like animation dolls. Naraku obviously didn't put much effort into his last stand. Perhaps he decided to give us a warm up?" He looked up at his lord, and Sesshomaru merely stared back with his cold hard expression. Sensing that his lord was becoming agitated at wasted time, Jaken spun around and lifted his staff. "Onward!" He nervously hurried along while Sesshomaru followed.

As they ascended the castle they came across more undead soldiers that Sesshomaru quickly dispatched. After he cleared another hallway Jaken rushed passed him to the end of the hall at another crossroad. Sesshomaru followed and watched as Jaken hesitated and looked around confused. "What is that?"

Sesshomaru approached him and paused as well, smelling the new scent that pierced through Naraku's, smothering out the rotten flesh. "Wisteria flowers," Sesshomaru identified for Jaken. For a demon, his servant's olfactory senses were mediocre at best.

"It's an unusually strong smell," Jaken commented and sniffed the air. "It's odd that flowers are growing in a place like this, especially in this season." Jaken then continued on down the hall and Sesshomaru followed.

 _Not the scent of flowers_ , he thought, _but the scent of a being._ It was almost difficult to identify, however the scent came more clear the further they went. Wisteria with the unique smell an individual carried. _I assume that half breed and his pack are here, however none of them have this scent._ Ascending more stairs, Jaken halted upon seeing more undead. "That's odd," he commented, and Sesshomaru joined him in seeing the soldiers coming out of the rooms. However they merely glanced their way before walking the opposite way. "I might be wrong, but I believe they're flocking to the flowers. However they're blocking our path still."

Sesshomaru walked passed him towards the undead that were massing at a set of doors. Over the groans and moans of the corpses, he could hear the sounds of fighting beyond the doors. Clang of metal and faint grunting. He deftly swung his Tokijin and mowed the dead down, clearing the way for the doors. Jaken came running up and opened the doors just enough to peer into the room.

A young human woman with unruly long brown hair and striking lavender eyes. She was spinning and circling, fighting off an Incarnation that wielded a sword. She was covered in cuts, bleeding enough for the undead to be swarming the room. Using a rosary whip, she moved quite nimbly in the confined space. Her eyes were burning with determination though her breathing was labored, fending off and parrying the Incarnation's blade while turning to cut down the undead that advanced on her. She would surely be overwhelmed at any moment.

"Lord Sesshomaru," he glanced down at his servant. "We need to pass through this room to continue."

Parrying the blade again, she kicked away an undead and faced her palm at the Incarnation. " _Purify!_ " The spiritual energy exploded from her palm, however Shiimaru twirled in a dodge around the light, catching her off guard. She went wide eyed and panicked. _He's too fast-!_ As quick as she could she pulled her arm back, but not without the blade slicing down her arm. She cried out in pain, stumbling back into the undead soldiers that grabbed onto her. She clutched her arm close, trying to stop the bleeding as she glared at the demon knock off.

Just as she began praying for help, the doors on the other side blew open. Sesshomaru was nothing but a white blur to Yuuki as he flew around the room, his gleaming sword moving faster than even Shiimaru could register. Before she could even blink the Incarnation's head was lobbed off and rolled to her feet. Once she did blink Shiimaru's body caught up and blood squirted from the open neck before collapsing. The white blur was still going around the room and she turned as quick as she could, and for a moment that seemed to slow down she was able to see him.

 _Who is that...?_

Her wide eyes of awe locked onto his golden sharp ones. The seconds slowed down as he neared her with his black blood coasted sword ready. A crescent moon on his forehead and maroon stripes on his cheeks, pointed ears that told her that he was a full blooded demon. Flowing white hair and robes, she was baffled at the resemblance he had to Inuyasha.

"Move, girl!"

The shrill voice cut through her daze to her senses. Time came back up to speed and she dove out of his way, springing off her good arm and crouching in the corner, watching as he cut down the last few undead. Her grip on her rosary was iron clad as she stared up at the demon that finally stood still. This man... _This_ man was powerful. Sesshomaru flicked his sword again, ridding it of the black blood that splattered onto Shiimaru's corpse. He glanced back at her, seeing her staring him down. He could see in her eyes that she was reading him as much as she could, and judging by her being on edge she could sense his power. Much like Naraku suppressing his and suspending it above their heads, Yuuki felt as if _this_ demon was an ocean, calm and composed on the outside, but underneath was a storm. If she got caught in it she would die. Her grip tightened even more on her rosary. _If he fights me then I'm dead._

 _She's wary of me. She's smart._ Smarter than his younger brother's other friends, he assumed. Sesshomaru could spot that she wore the same clothing as that priestess, the one from another time. _So, she's also not from this world._ Odd, considering not just anyone could traverse the barrier of time.

"Don't just stare at Lord Sesshomaru like a gaping fish!" The same voice pierced her again and she snapped her head to the side, seeing the green imp in brown robes holding a two faced staff. He was glaring at her with giant yellow eyes, "He saved your life, be grateful!"

She blinked and looked back to Sesshomaru. Carefully she replied, "Thank you..." So, he didn't have to be an enemy.

Jaken perked up and turned to his lord, "This way, my lord!" He then scurried off beyond the room.

Sesshomaru stared at Yuuki for a moment longer and she swallowed, however she didn't back down her gaze. After a moment of her holding her breath, the demon turned and followed after his servant. Her scent was strangely overwhelming, and Sesshomaru needed to get away in order to locate Naraku. Once they left the room she was able to breathe again, and she was able to think.

First her arm was on fire from pain. She frowned down at her blood soaked arm, feeling it wasn't stopping yet. Oh well, she would have to deal with it. _Lord Sesshomaru._ She had never heard the name before. She didn't know exactly why he was here, but she could only assume he was here for Naraku as well. _With his strength he could possibly defeat him..._ She stood, holding her arm still and walked for the hall they left in.

"Uh- just a moment, Lord Sesshomaru!" The imp's voice said.

Yuuki peered down the hall at him, watching as the Imp was frantically looking around, somehow completely ignoring her.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten where the road is, Jaken." She shivered at the sound of Sesshomaru's voice. Commanding and cold, but he wasn't angry. As much as she was frightened of him by first impressions, she couldn't help but be impressed. _If this demon reaches Naraku first then he just might kill him._ As good as that would be, Yuuki needed Naraku alive to return home.

Yuuki ran. Jaken was still looking around the hall nervously as he felt his lord approach from behind. He needed to find the correct path and quick! Then that blasted girl went running by holding her wound. Angrily he opened his mouth to yell, but then thought better of it. "Girl!" Yuuki faltered in her stride and glanced back. Jaken perked up, "Yes, you! Girl! Wait!"

 _Shit_. She glanced passed him at Sesshomaru as he emerged from a room, looking directly at her. As Jaken approached her she looked down at him. He frowned back and shouted, "Don't give me that look!"

Her brows furrowed confused. "What look." Sesshomaru watched her carefully, sensing she had the urge to run. She glanced up at him again as he approached. She had her own business with Naraku, and apparently knew the path better than Jaken did. Perhaps she would be useful.

Jaken eyed her in distaste, not liking her attitude and asked, "Do you know the way to the castle tower?" Yuuki hesitated too long. "You do!" He exclaimed in delight and she narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Then take us there."

"Thank you for saving my life," she said firmly, looking back up at Sesshomaru. "But I have my own reasons for finding Naraku. I can't let you interfere."

"Whatever your motives are," Jaken said approaching her, "You're bleeding quite heavily from that wound. Undead will flock to you and you'll only be overwhelmed again." Yuuki frowned. While he was loud, he was still smart, both she and Sesshomaru thought. "Guide us to the castle tower and we'll help protect your feeble human body." She glared daggers at him, but he was unfazed with the backing of his lord. "Well!?" He barked.

Yuuki's lip raised and she stomped down on the imp, squishing him into the floor boards. "You make a good point," she relented as she grounded her foot into Jaken. After getting her frustration out, she glanced up at Sesshomaru again. He didn't say anything, he didn't even appear bothered that she abused his servant. Stepping off of Jaken to his sweet relief, she bore her eyes into Sesshomaru's. "I don't know what your motives are either, but I won't let you get to Naraku first."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes slightly. _She's confident_. Despite the fact that she knew he could kill her easily, she had her own resolve. She then walked off leading the way. As Jaken got back up, quickly trying to compose himself he grumbled, "What a vile woman."

Sesshomaru didn't care so long as he got what he wanted in the end. The further they went into the castle the more undead appeared. As Jaken had said they all swarmed for Yuuki's first, paying them no mind. She was quick with her rosary, but Sesshomaru was undeniably faster. The second she would turn he would already be there with the undead on the floor. He glanced at her and she glared back. She couldn't allow him to have an upper hand. She couldn't fight him off from Naraku then fight Naraku himself. _I just need to get home._

 _She's determined._ While Sesshomaru looked for efficiency in slaying the scores of numbers, he found himself stopping short a couple times as her rosary cut him off. The holy whip would cut down the undead he aimed for and she would glance at him, his eyes narrowing. Between the two of them was a fire burning. _I won't allow anyone to stand in my way of Naraku._

 _I can't let him win._

The two of them would continue on with Jaken trailing behind, sensing a problem brewing _. How silly of me to request the help of a human girl_ , he thought despondently. Now he had only made his lord upset.

Sesshomaru glanced sideways at her. "How much further to the tower."

"I've had to do some backtracking," she replied just as curtly, making Jaken more nervous. "Let me get my bearings. It won't be much farther."

That being said, as more undead emerged she made a run for it, dodging past them and up a stairwell. "She's getting away!" Jaken shouted incredulously. Sesshomaru smiled slightly to himself and that made Jaken shiver in fright. As amusing as it was, she knew she couldn't get far. Still he deftly cut down the undead and soared up the stairs just to see her facing an open room of about twenty undead soldiers and servants.

She merely stood staring into the room while Sesshomaru dashed passed her, already beginning to mow them down. "Toki..." Amongst grown adults, the sole zombie child was shuffling along towards her ever so slowly. It choked Yuuki up. _I knew she didn't make it, but still..._ To see a child's corpse used in such a way... her body was rotten and black, a faint red glow in the empty eye sockets. Sesshomaru blew past her, blowing her hair and she blinked.

Right as Jaken finally caught up to them, Yuuki panicked and ran off after Sesshomaru. "Wait!" He glided up to the young girl and raised his sword. "Stop-!" Jaken gaped as she grabbed onto the back of his kimono. He stopped and she heard the sword slice through flesh, the blood spraying across the floor. She froze, a stone dropping in her stomach. Sesshomaru glanced back at her as the body thudded on the floor. He then walked away, slipping from her hand, and stood away as she stared down at the young girl's body. Jaken approached next to Sesshomaru, watching as Yuuki went lax, staring down at Toki's body with a broken heart.

Yuuki dropped to her knees. "Dammit..." It was far too late, she already knew that. She withdrew the pinwheel from her skirt pocket and they watched as she set it on the girls chest, moving her hand over it to keep it in place. Like with the other corpses the souls floated up and disappeared.

Jaken decided to speak up, "You shouldn't fret so much, girl. Lord Sesshomaru did a service to the child." Yuuki lifted her head and stared at him confused. "Naraku's spell over these dead is nothing more than an animation curse. Slaying the vessels free the spirits. The child can lay at rest now thanks to him." Yuuki turned back to the girl's corpse, mourning for her loss. If only she had assured she escaped the castle. Jaken frowned and snapped, "Why are you making Lord Sesshomaru wait!?"

"Jaken."

"See!" Jaken looked up at his lord happily and asked, "What is it, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru glanced down at him and replied, "Leave the woman alone." Jaken backed down, refusing to question his lord.

"It's fine." She stood back up, holding her arm again. "We can't spend too long here." It was a shame. She felt as if all these dead deserved a moment, knowing there was pain and fear in their deaths.

Jaken sighed and said reluctantly, "Well, if you must then send them off with a prayer. Lord Sesshomaru is allowing you time after all."

Yuuki looked over at him and blinked. "A prayer?"

He blinked back. "Yes. You're a priestess, aren't you?"

Sesshomaru watched as she looked away to the wall thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. I suppose I am." It had never occurred to her that she had that capability. Only Miroku made farewell prayers.

"What do you mean you suppose!?" Jaken demanded as she walked off.

"You're from another Era." Yuuki stopped short and looked back at Sesshomaru wide eyed. He was one for few words it seemed, but the one time he does speak it caught her of guard.

"Yes, I assumed you were an acquaintance with that half breed Inuyasha and his priestess woman," Jaken chimed in and Yuuki was nearly knocked off her feet.

She turned to them in shock. "Wait, you know my friends?"

"Why are you so confused, stupid girl!?" Jaken shouted, hopping mad and offended. "Had they never mentioned the great Lord Sesshomaru!?"

 _Of course not_ , she sweat dropped. It was odd to her that they never once mentioned these two, at least Sesshomaru. Staring at him, she could only assume they weren't on good terms. Otherwise why wouldn't they ask for his help? He was powerful. Staring at Sesshomaru, she frowned. If they were on bad terms with him, however, then shouldn't that mean the same for her? "I don't know your connection to my friends, and I don't particularly care." She walked up to him and added, "I am from another time, but I was dragged here against my will. I need help getting home, and Naraku was the one to summon me. I _need_ him to get back home."

Jaken peered up at her while Sesshomaru remained silent. _Is_ _she asking for my help?_ "It's a shame," Jaken commented and she glanced down at him. "Naraku is a wanted man. You have nothing to offer Lord Sesshomaru for his help, and we aim to kill him."

Yuuki's shoulders fell. "Yeah. That's what everyone wants." Giving up on the idea she walked on ahead for the next set of stairs.

The closer to the tower they were the less undead they came across. Yuuki assumed it was thanks to her friends already being here and clearing them out. When she stopped again, Jaken yelled at her, "Enough with the stopping!"

"We're here."

"Oh."

Jaken quieted down and Yuuki looked back at Sesshomaru again. _I need his help._ She couldn't just allow another opportunity to escape her again. If Sesshomaru went on and did what he wanted he could ruin her chance of going home. _Even if he's on bad terms with my friends._ Her hope riding on this, she walked back up to Sesshomaru, who merely stared at her and waited. "I know I don't have much to offer you, but if you help me force Naraku to send me back home, I can help you in defeating him."

"How dare you!?" Jaken shouted in a fit of rage, swinging his staff around. "I ought to burn you alive! How dare you a mere human girl assume the great Lord Sesshomaru needs help with-"

The rest of his rant was muffled by Yuuki's foot grinding his face into the floor. She glared at him, a tick mark throbbing on her head for a moment. Looking back up at Sesshomaru she sighed, "Please, I'm not looking to insult you. I know you're powerful, that's why I'm asking for your help."

Staring at her eyes for a moment, he could recognize a softness passed the striking color. "And how would you be able to assist me in any way," he asked. "You even have a wounded arm."

"You can't use brute strength to break his barrier," she replied, "and I promise it's stronger than the last time you've faced him." He narrowed his eyes. When his expression changed, she became slightly worried. "What is it?"

"You've faced Naraku before." She nodded. Looking away from her he explained, "There's a good chance Naraku is no longer at this castle, despite his scent being everywhere."

"Yes, maybe," she agreed, finally releasing Jaken from her foot. "I know he can be elusive, but there's also a chance he's still here." He looked back at her intrigued. Placing a hand on her chest she explained, "Naraku has plans for me. He's working with someone else that wants me, so I have a feeling he won't be far from me."

"Sounds like that feeling is wasted hope," Jaken grumbled as he dusted himself off.

"I'm desperate," she said finally. Yes, Sesshomaru could already tell that by the look in her eyes. "I'll make any deal I need to assure I get home."

"And how would you be able to help me defeat Naraku."

"I can break any barrier."

"What!?" Jaken yelled while Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.

 _Any barrier?_ "I've eaten a Megatama fruit from Mount Houoh," she went on, hoping it was impressive enough to earn his help. "I wield the Seishin and with it I've been able to master the ability to break any barrier, so you can have a clean shot at him."

Jaken hummed from the side and Yuuki swore to god, _if he fucks up my chance I'm breaking his face on the ground._ "A Megatama fruit, I've heard that's a challenge for humans. I guess that's impressive, however I've never heard of Seishin."

Ignoring him, she kept her eyes locked on Sesshomaru's. He then asked, "Assuming it goes according to your plan. How do you plan to convince Naraku to work with you in sending you home."

"I have my own bargaining chip."

"Oh that's promising," Jaken murmured sarcastically under his breath.

She tried to ignore him, but she bristled. " _Fine_ , I plan on surrendering my powers to him." Now that she could break any barrier, she also had hope that he would accept her deal.

"Are you insane!?" Jaken snapped and she outright glared at him. More seriously he said, "A human of spiritual capabilities giving up their powers can be damaging. Not to mention if you give Naraku that kind of power there's no telling what he could do with it. You'll only make him more powerful!"

"You're right. However..." Looking back up at Sesshomaru, she smiled at him with a clever expression. "I'm sure whatever power Naraku gains, he'll still be no match for you, right?"

Watching his lord closely, Jaken damn near pissed himself when Sesshomaru smirked back at her. _This wisteria woman is clever._ Playing to Naraku's greed for power, as well as pandering to Sesshomaru's ego. He felt almost inclined to assist her, to see how far her plan would go for her. "We shall see."

Yuuki nodded, having no other choice but to accept that answer. As she walked away, Jaken paid close attention to his lord's face, watching as his eyes followed the girl. _She's piqued my lord's interest. I've never seen this look before!_ As if hearing him, Sesshomaru frowned down at his servant and he bristled in fright. Having no words he kept his mouth shut and followed the girl.

Once Yuuki opened a heavy set of doors along the wall, she was greeted by everyone already there. Kagome lit up saying, "Yuuki, you're safe! Thank goodness," she sighed, pressing a hand to her heart.

Sesshomaru and Jaken stopped short of the door and Sesshomaru sniffed. Still, the wisteria woman's scent overrode everything else. He could sense Inuyasha was beyond the doors, however he could hardly smell him, or Naraku's scent, or the scent of the undead. _Yuuki._ He had wondered what her name was.

They stayed put and listened while Yuuki entered the room, Inuyasha commenting, "Took you long enough."

Sango gasped, "Yuuki, your arm!"

"It's fine," she assured, looking her arm over. "It looks worse than it is."

"Typical," Inuyasha huffed and Yuuki glared at him, a blush dusting her cheeks. "How'd you manage that, clutz?"

"It was thanks to an incarnation," she snapped back, bristling. "I got cornered while alone and he was fast, all right?"

While Kagome hurried over to start mending her arm, Sango said, "The undead stopped coming after us after a bit, we were all getting ready to search for you."

"That's an awful lot of blood, no wonder they stopped coming after us," Miroku commented, bringing a hand to his chin. "How were you able to escape the masses with that drawing them to you?"

"Well, actually," she blushed a bit again as Kagome wrapped her arm up in a fresh bandage. "I didn't exactly handle the incarnation on my own. I had help getting here." Though it was embarrassing to admit.

"Huh?" Kagome paused and looked up at her surprised. "Help?"

A better time than any. Sesshomaru came around the corner and entered the room. Yuuki glanced back as he walked up behind her with Jaken waddling up next to him. "Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha question in surprise, more stunned than anything. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"More like what's he doing helping Yuuki," Sango mumbled and Miroku nodded in agreement.

Yuuki glanced around at her friend's wary expressions. "We helped each other," she explained, "while they helped me with the undead I was their guide here."

"You all better be grateful!" Jaken snapped at them. "If it weren't for Lord Sesshomaru she would have been consumed by those corpses!"

Kagome smiled at him, being the first to recover. "Thank you, Sesshomaru." He didn't pay her mind, merely look past them at the door.

Once Kagome quickly finished with Yuuki's arm, Yuuki asked, "So, what's the connection I'm missing?" Looking at Inuyasha, he was merely glaring Sesshomaru down with a look of hate.

Kagome sighed, looking back at Inuyasha as well. "Sesshomaru is Inuyasha's older brother."

Yuuki was shocked, "Seriously?" She knew there was a resemblance, but she didn't think it would be as close as family.

"They really don't get along," Shippo added. Sesshomaru could see he was nervous as well. They were all tense and uncomfortable at his presence, but the woman Yuuki seemed to be the only one unbothered. He looked down at her to see her stare at the glaring Inuyasha and then up at him, observing his features.

Sesshomaru walked by her and approached his hostile brother. "So, Inuyasha," Inuyasha glared up at him unhappily while everyone else was surprised. "This human woman is your friend?"

"What of it!?" He barked.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, expecting that response. Still, he answered the question for him. "Jaken, we're leaving." He then walked passed them.

"Y-Yes, Lord Sesshomaru…" Yuuki looked down and watched as he nervously made his way through the group.

Inuyasha shouted after him, "You! Where are you going!?" Sesshomaru didn't bother to respond. "Hey! Wait a minute-!"

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha was angry and confused at the fact Sesshomaru stopped and looked back at Yuuki. "Please, don't forget my deal?"

"Deal? What deal!?"

"Inuyasha," Miroku ushered him to quiet down.

Sesshomaru stared at her for a moment. "Woman, what is your name?"

Yuuki blinked. _That's right, I didn't introduce myself._ "My name is Fujiwara Yuuki."

 _A fitting name_. Jaken stared up at him and asked, "Lord Sesshomaru…?" Sesshomaru ignored him along with her friends and continued on. He wasn't sure what possessed him to care enough to ask, but she was interesting.

Yuuki frowned after him when he disappeared. So, he and Inuyasha were brothers. Judging by the animosity between them, he might not help just out of spite. She blinked when Inuyasha marched into her view, "And what the hell was that," he asked, biting back his rage.

She sighed heavily. "I asked for his help, all right?"

"For his help!?" He yelled loud enough to blow her hair back. Yes, well, she supposed she had that coming.

"It's not like I knew you were brothers," she shot back in her defense.

Miroku slid up to the two of them and clapped his hands together. "Well, now that we're all here, let us get to Naraku before Sesshomaru does, shall we?"

"Oh fuck that!" Inuyasha shouted, whirling around. "I'll be damned if Sesshomaru gets to him first! I'm gonna destroy both of them!" He ran after Sesshomaru and the others quickly followed. In the next room he exclaimed, "Sesshomaru!"

The others filed in to see Sesshomaru and Jaken utterly surrounded by undead. "Look at all the corpses!" Kagome exclaimed. "There's so many of them!"

Taking a quick look around, the doors leading to the throne room broken down and the ceiling collapsed above them, Yuuki said, "Looks like it was an ambush." Inuyasha smirked at his older brother who glared back at him.

"We need to hurry while Sesshomaru is busy," Sango ushered as Sesshomaru began hacking at the bodies.

"Too bad for you, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha called happily and he glanced at him. "We're going ahead!" He then led his group passed him and up the tower. Yuuki hesitated after them, watching as Sesshomaru cut the dead down. Sesshomaru looked over at her, and Inuyasha could be heard shouting, "Dammit, Yuuki, come on!" _Dammit,_ she ran after them, leaving Sesshomaru behind.

"Damn that Inuyasha!" Jaken shouted.

"Jaken," He cut in before he went on a pointless rant. He then glanced back at him and said, "Make yourself useful."

"Uh- right!" Jaken readied himself as Sesshomaru resumed the tedious task of clearing out the samurai. "Behold! The power of the staff of two heads!" Jaken unleashed his flames on the corpses.

As they raced up the tower, Inuyasha was relentless with his grumblings. "Asking Sesshomaru for help, of all the- do you not believe in us or something? You think I can't handle Naraku on my own, is that it!?"

"Oh dear god," Yuuki said exasperated, running with Kagome in the rear. "I said sorry, all right!?"

"No you didn't!" He shouted back incredulously. "You didn't say sorry at all!"

"Well now I'm not going to!" She shouted back, her stubbornness leaking out. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo who was riding Miroku's shoulder were all tired of the arguing themselves. Yuuki looked to Kagome and asked, "I can see a sibling rivalry between that lousy dog and Sesshomaru, but what about you guys? No one seemed enthused to see him."

Kagome looked at her and replied, "Sesshomaru is known to be cold hearted and hates humans. He's obsessed with power and fought Inuyasha a few times to get his Tessaiga."

"Which he failed to do, by the way," Inuyasha added pointedly.

"Well no shit," Yuuki snapped back.

A tick mark sprung up on his head, but he ignored her. Kagome gained Yuuki's attention again and continued, "Sesshomaru can be cruel and seems to kill without remorse. We were surprised to see him work with a human so willingly, let alone save your life."

Yuuki hummed to herself. _Is he really that bad?_ Remembering that smirk he had before, along with his interest in possibly helping her, she didn't think he was nearly that bad. Reaching the top they entered the room that they first found Naraku. "He's not here," Sango said.

Inside they were faced with an undead samurai in decorative armor. "It looks like it's just Yukimura," Kagome said sadly.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha glared around the room. "Where the hell could he have gone?"

As Yukimura approached them, Miroku was forced to lean away from him. "This demonic aura is strong. He's using Yukimura's corpse to control all the dead."

"So, if we release Yukimura from the spell, all the other corpses will be free?" Shippo questioned.

Kagome replied, "Yes. We have to set them free."

"Fine," Inuyasha drew his Tessaiga. " _Wind Scar!_ " He used his attack, but a barrier protected Yukimura, causing the attack to destroy the room around him instead. "Dammit, Yuuki!" He called.

Yuuki folded her hands together around her rosary, her powers outlining her. Her clothes and hair lifted as the air waved and shifted around her. The translucent tendrils shot out when she shouted, " _Spirit's Rage!_ " The energy could barely be seen wrapping around Yukimura's barrier, revealing it, and then crushing it in.

Kagome then knocked back an arrow and aimed it at Yukimura. "Yuuki!" Yuuki pulled out the talisman from her pocket and folded her hands around it. Her Seishin powers outlined her body and Kagome's arrow was enveloped in the same energy. "Hit the mark…!" She released and the arrow flew, her own powers warping around it in a pink aura. The arrow struck Yukimura in the heart and a force exploded in the room, knocking them all back.

Yuuki flew back and hit the wall, falling to the ground. She quickly shook her head and looked over at Yukimura along with the others. The demonic energy was disbanded and a light flew out from Yukimura's body before he dropped dead. Sango sighed saying, "He's free now."

"I've had about as much as I can take from that Naraku!" Shippo shouted, jumping to his feet.

From below, Sesshomaru could hear the commotion. He already heard their shouts of attacks, the castle shaking with the battle. Sesshomaru tried to sniff again, but only Yuuki's scent came to him. Why couldn't he smell anyone else? Was her scent truly that strong, or was he not focused enough? He made it to the top and Jaken was surprisingly not that far behind. He entered the room and glanced around, seeing that Naraku wasn't even present, but a dead samurai in his stead. Inuyasha and his companions were knocked to the ground as well. Inuyasha saw him and barked, "Sesshomaru-"

Miroku interrupted him, "Inuyasha! Look," he pointed across the room and Sesshomaru followed his aim, seeing the Saimyosho staring at them.

"Saimyosho," Sango glared. "They've been watching us, possibly this entire time!"

The Saimyosho turned and flew away. Sesshomaru ran after it across the room to the window where it flew out of. Jaken hurried over to his side and stared after it saying, "The Saimyosho is heading towards Ayame Village."

"Naraku isn't here, which means there no reason for us to be here," Sesshomaru said as he turned around and walked back across the room. "Let's go, Jaken."

"Okay, Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken said as he hurried after his lord.

Yuuki remained on the ground, glancing up at Sesshomaru as he passed. He glanced back at her, but she looked away in defeat. _So much for getting his help._ Now would have been the ideal time, but Naraku wasn't here. Sesshomaru left and Jaken was following behind, but he stopped next to Yuuki. "Girl," she looked at him. He spoke quietly, "My lord isn't much for words, but as his servant it's my duty to know his thoughts and feelings. I don't know what's interesting about you, but if you encounter Lord Sesshomaru again, he may be inclined to help."

Yuuki was surprised, but before she could say anything he hurried off. _I have a bad habit of feeling hopeful._

"So Sesshomaru is after Naraku, too," Kagome confirmed as they all stood back up, staring after them. "I wonder why?"

"Does it matter?" Inuyasha questioned and they turned to him. "Sesshomaru's of no consequence to us. We just need to get to Naraku first."

Sango then spoke up, "I don't believe Ayame Village is too far away. It's just south of here."

"Then let's get moving," Inuyasha said and then ran out of the room, the rest of them quickly following.


	8. Huntsman and the Wolf

Along the way to Ayame Village, they had to make camp in the woods. It was late and they were tired, and even though Inuyasha was annoyed, he relented. They were able to look over their supplies and Kagome treated Yuuki's wound properly. "Here, Yuuki," when Yuuki came back from changing into her pajamas, Kagome showed her a plastic wrapped school uniform that was clean and folded. "My mom had me pack spares. You can use this one when you want it."

Yuuki smiled at her in gratitude. "Thank you, Kagome. You can keep it for now though," she said as she held out her uniform shirt, seeing the tears and stains. "Just in case this time isn't done with me yet."

Kagome put the uniform away as Sango spoke up, polishing her Hiraikotsu behind them. "Don't worry, slaying demons can be rough, but soon enough you'll be a natural."

"Yes," Miroku added and they looked over at him across the fire. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Though at this rate it appears your clothes will be nothing but shreds."

He gave a pleasant sigh as he got lost in his imagination and all the women glared daggers at him. "Letcher," Sango grumbled, focusing on cleaning her weapon while Kagome sighed.

Shippo looked over at them from his sleeping spot and asked, "Hey, Yuuki," she looked over at him. "Did Sesshomaru really save your life?"

She sighed as the others looked to her. "Well, more or less..." She took a seat and leaned back against a tree, staring at the sky. "I don't believe he went out of his way for me. My fight with the incarnation was in his way, and he was already slaying the undead. I think I was just lucky."

"Feh," she looked over at Inuyasha as he rolled over away from them. "Lucky to run into Sesshomaru? Not an ounce of good in that jackass."

Yuuki sighed to herself. She didn't want to make Inuyasha upset, but she couldn't deny it would be good to have Sesshomaru's help. Kagome turned to Yuuki and said, "I've been meaning to ask, Yuuki, what about Kinya?"

"That's right, the last we saw her she was facing Naraku alone," Sango recalled and Yuuki looked to the fire sadly. "You haven't mentioned anything about her in a few days."

"I... Haven't been able to reach out to her." _Which is a lie._ In all honesty, she hadn't tried to reach out to Kinya at all. She'd been too afraid to. If a helpful, powerful woman like that died to Naraku it would've been her fault.

Kagome furrowed her brows up at Yuuki's distant expression. She decided to be uplifting, and smiled when she said, "Well, Naraku wasn't at the castle. If he beat Kinya, wouldn't he be there to boast his confidence to us?"

"That's a very good point," Miroku agreed as he laid down. "He would've been happy to let us know of his victory."

Putting her things away Sango added, "More than likely Kinya made sure we escaped before fleeing herself, just to thwart Naraku."

Yuuki didn't respond as everyone laid down to sleep. She stayed up, watching the fire as the other's slept soundly. _They're probably right, but something feels off still._ Yuuki took a slow, deep breath to calm herself. _I need to stop being a coward._ Closing her eyes, remaining upright, she slipped into meditation.

* * *

When Yuuki opened her eyes again, she found herself in a familiar open tatami room, moonlight beaming in from the open balcony, cherry blossom pedals falling and drifting inside.

She was sitting against the wall and looked to see Kinya lying in a futon in the center of the room. Her face fell to dread. _Oh no..._ Kinya was a pale sweating mess, her breathing labored and cheeks sunken in. "Oh, no, no, Kinya," Yuuki quickly crawled over to her, "Please, Kinya, open your eyes!" Yuuki hovered her hand over Kinya's chest, but a blue light shone from beneath her haori. Yuuki went wide eyed, _that's the Dai Saishi no Tama..._ She began to hear faint whispers, and Kinya lurched in pain.

"Gnn- _gyahh!_ " When she cried out Yuuki quickly backed away, fearful she did anything. When she retreated the light faded away.

"Lady Kinya!" A woman quickly entered the room with a bowl and cloth. She shushed Kinya, trying to sooth her as she placed the wet cloth on her forehead. "I have medicine for you, my lady," she said and tried to spoon feed her.

* * *

Yuuki opened her eyes with a regretful expression. She found herself on her back, staring at the grey early dawn. _I didn't get sleep again._ She felt exhausted, and awful. _Kinya_ looked awful. She wasn't dead, but she was dying. _Am I staying here too long? Was it Naraku's miasma?_ She had a feeling it was both. There's only so many fronts a person can fight.

Yuuki closed her eyes and tried to rest as much as she could before the others began to wake. With a sigh Yuuki heaved herself up with the others, Inuyasha stomping out the remains of the fire while the girls changed and packed. They continued on mostly in silence as they followed the path from the castle town to the forest.

Then Inuyasha stumbled with a sickly look on his face. "Ugh- what is that terrible smell?"

"Hm?" Pulled out of her thoughts, Yuuki looked back at him. "What happened?" Kagome glanced at her, noting her distraction.

They turned to him as he backed away, covering his nose with his sleeve. "Nothing's happened; there's just a terrible smell coming from over there," he pointed up the road and they followed his thoroughly disgusted gaze.

Sango sniffed the air."I can't smell anything."

"Inuyasha's sense of smell is superior to most being's," Miroku explained and Sango looked at him. He brought a hand to his chin, "Unfortunate, though, seeing as we have to continue."

"Oh screw that!" Inuyasha yelled. "No way am I going that way!"

Yuuki sighed, tossing a hand up. "Well, the Saimyosho were seen going to Ayame Village, and the _fastest_ way is on this path."

Shippo jumped up onto her shoulder and grinned at Inuyasha, "It's okay if you have to be left behind, Inuyasha, we'll take care of Naraku for you."

The group continued forward to his chagrin, but he followed after them slowly, looking like he was going to be sick. When they neared a farm that was carved into the forest, that's when Shippo _hurk'd_ on Yuuki's shoulder, making her nervous. "Um, Shippo? You going to be sick?"

"I smell it now..." Covering his nose and mouth he hopped off and waddled over to the bushes where Inuyasha was staked at. "You're right, that smells awful..."

"I told you- _hurk_ ," the others quickly shielded their eyes, trying to ignore their dry heaving.

Passing the farm Kagome noted, "I smell garlic."

The farmer that was tending to his strung up garlic looked up at them as they passed. When he spotted Inuyasha and Shippo's sick faces he laughed, nodding in understanding. "Sorry there, folks!"

"Are you _only_ farming garlic?" Kagome asked as she looked at the mass amount of strung up garlic set out to dry.

"Yup," the farmer replied, putting his fists on his hips as he stood proudly. "As stinky as it is, it's very nutritional!" He then asked, "Do you guys want to take one with you?"

"Why not?" Miroku questioned happily. "It would be rude to refuse. Give us the strongest smelling one you have."

"I hate you-!" Inuyasha ran for the bushes, vomiting over the side of it.

"The smell got to him," Sango explained to the farmer politely.

Shippo watched Inuyasha horrified, "Oh no, now I'm gonna-!" He ran and mimicked him.

Both Yuuki and Kagome grimaced, "Who would've thought it was that bad," Yuuki murmured.

Inuyasha fell to his knees and looked back at them pleadingly. "H-help me…!"

"Here," Kagome set her backpack down and took out a container. "You can just put it in here," she said, holding it open.

"All right then!" The farmer happily searched through his stock and plucked a single garlic. He then put it in saying, "Free of charge! Just make sure you tell people were to get the most nutritious garlic around."

"Of course," Sango assured as Kagome quickly sealed the container shut.

"Please, hurry," Shippo pleaded pitifully, "Before Inuyasha gets sick again."

Yuuki scooped up the poor fox demon while Kagome put her backpack back on and helped carry Inuyasha away from the garlic farm. Shippo was first to recover once the farm was out of sight, however Inuyasha needed to be a bit further. He eventually recovered and was able to walk on his own by the time they passed another shop. Sango became curious and paused by it, looking at the display of, "What are these?" She asked. "Large straw sandals?"

" _Hey_ , traveler!" The male shop owner popped up from behind the counter, startling her, and beamed a smile. The shop keeper's wife emerged from the back and stood there looking bored. "You got a good eye to pick that out of everything," he winked.

"A good eye?" Shippo questioned, looking up at the straw sandals. "They don't exactly look good..."

"They're called snowshoes," The shop keeper explained excitedly. "With these shoes, no matter how much snow there is, you can walk without sinking!" He grinned and clasped his hands together. "How about it? You want them, don't you? If you buy them now, I'll give you a good deal."

"I'm sorry," Miroku said with an apologetic smile, raising his hand. "But we aren't in need of these snowshoes. You see, it doesn't even snow around here."

"See?" The man's wife grumbled next to him with a dangerous aura. "I told you not to buy those from the peddler."

"Oh, that's too bad," he began to sweat from nervousness. "They're the latest trend, too! The women go wild for men who wear these, you could even make a turnover in the city with them!"

"How much did you say they were?" Miroku asked, shoving Sango aside.

Sango stumbled and blinked. She then whirled around on him and shouted, "But we don't need them!"

"That's not going to stop Miroku," Inuyasha said as he walked off, "Come on, let's just leave him."

"Unbelievable," she grumbled as she left with them.

They made a good distance along before Miroku ran back to them, carrying several pairs of snowshoes in his arms. "I must say I outdid my own expectations," he said happily.

"In what," Yuuki questioned, "getting suckered?"

Kagome looked back at his pout and said, "She's right, Miroku. You just wasted money to buy things we don't need."

Inuyasha looked back at him angrily and asked, "Why did you even buy so many!? It's not like we're going to choose to look stupid along with you."

"I'll have you know I bought all of these at the price of one," he said matter-of-fact. "Like the shop keeper said, we can make a turnover in the city!"

"It's summer!" The lot of them shouted at him.

"He used you as a _trashcan_ ," Yuuki explained in exasperation. "He can't sell those things around here- you said so yourself that it doesn't snow here! So he got rid of all of them at once because you're a womanizer."

"Oh, come now!" Miroku ran up to her and got close, shoving them in her face. "Do you honestly mean to say that these don't attract you to me?"

Yuuki stumbled away from him. "Get back, would you?!" She snapped annoyed.

Sango gasped. "Yuuki, look out!"

Yuuki stepped back and her foot slipped right out from under her. She yelped as she fell and splashed in mud. They hurried over and stared down at her worried while Inuyasha only laughed, pointing at her. "You friggin' clutz!"

Yuuki was shocked at herself, her uniform completely ruined by the mud. She glared up at him, face beet red and shouted, "Sh-shut up, lousy dog!"

"Quit teasing her," Kagome scolded, grabbing her hand and helping her out.

"Don't get mad at me," he said defensively. "It's Miroku's fault she fell in the mud."

While Yuuki tried to wipe the bulk of the mud off, Sango looked around and realized, "It's a giant swamp area."

"This isn't good," Miroku said direly, staring at Yuuki above his snowshoes. "You need to change right away."

" _Not_ in _front_ of _you_!" She yelled, thoroughly annoyed, and he became dejected.

"Luckily your uniform just needs a wash," Kagome said as she pulled her backpack around. "We can use the clothes that Kaede gave us in the meantime!"

As she pulled them out Yuuki furrowed her brows up at them, her blush going away. "The priestess clothing?" _Am I really worthy of wearing those?_

"Well we should have my spare uniform for when yours is beyond repair," She replied. "Here, go change behind the trees. We'll make sure Miroku doesn't watch."

"You should have more faith in me," he said as Yuuki took the clothing.

Sango crossed her arms. "How can you say that!? With all those stupid shoes in your arms." He could only sigh.

Yuuki hid behind the trees and was careful to remove her uniform, though her mass of hair was already ruined. She sighed sadly as she used leaves to try and remove remaining mud on her body. _I need a hot bath and sleep._ She put on Kaede's old priestess clothing and then stepped back onto the road. Miroku lit up as he gazed at her. "You look beautiful!"

"Give it a rest already," she said tiredly, walking on without them.

He frowned after her. "Is it me, or is she in low spirits today?"

Sango shot him an annoyed look. "She's probably tired of you."

"No, there's something off with her today," Kagome said, watching her friend with concern.

The group continued on, Kagome being kind enough to let Miroku stuff the snowshoes in her backpack. Along the way Inuyasha stopped and smelled the air. In a low tone he said, "I smell wolves."

"Wolves?" Kagome questioned. "That means-"

"That's right; scrawny wolves," he said distastefully and continued on his way. Yuuki raised an eyebrow as she followed.

Making their way through somewhat of a maze of a forest, there was a peculiar rush of wind. Yuuki stopped short and went wide eyed, feeling a presence behind her. She turned around to see two men wearing fur clothing, glaring at her. She took a step back, sensing their hostility. "Uh, who are these guys?"

As the group faced them Sango replied, "Wolf demons."

A small cyclone raced by them and it dispersed, revealing a third wolf demon. He had long black hair in a ponytail and blue eyes that glared at Yuuki with hate. "What do you mean who are they? How can you pretend?" He spat. Yuuki blinked, and then realized he was speaking to _her_. "You think you can do what you did and I'll just forget about it?"

"Wait- _what?_ " She shook her head, trying to come to her senses. She frowned at his livid glare, "I've never met you _or_ your friends before."

"Don't pretend that nothing happened," he growled. She became alarmed as he raised his clawed hand, cracking the knuckles. "I never forget a face. It's time for you to pay for every day of attacking my comrades!"

She quickly backed away from him. "Wait- attack!?"

"Koga, wait!" Kagome hurried between them and shielded Yuuki from him. "Yuuki has been with us the whole time!"

Yuuki blinked at her friend. "You _know_ him?"

"You _know_ her!?" He shouted incredulously.

" _Yes_ ," she explained desperately, "Yuuki is my friend!"

"Move, Kagome!" Koga said. "I'll lose face if I let her go."

"I don't think he's going to listen to what we have to say," Miroku said.

"Interesting," Inuyasha smirked. "Now we'll get to see who's stronger." Yuuki looked back at him confused, seeing him draw his Tessaiga. "Yuuki, get behind me." She was surprised as he walked passed her to face off with Koga. _He's defending me again without me asking him._

Koga's cohorts pushed back the others so their leader could fight without disruption. "Of course you'd protect someone as despicable as her you mangy low-life mutt," Koga spat.

"Shut up, ya scrawny wolf, and die!" Inuyasha shouted and attacked him.

"Despicable...?" Kagome glanced over at Yuuki, seeing a hurt look in her eyes.

"Yuuki?" She questioned, but with no response. She shared a worried look with the others.

 _Why am I despicable? I've never even seen him before..._ Koga jumped back to dodge and then struck back with his leg. Inuyasha easily blocked the attack and went to cut him again. "Wait- please," she called out, realizing their fight was serious. "Let me explain-!"

"Shut it, you!" Koga looked at her with such rage that she was stunned silent. "After I kill the mutt I'm killing you next!"

"Koga!" Kagome exclaimed appalled.

"Not if I kill you first!" Inuyasha shouted as he raised his sword. " _Wind-!_ "

"Inuyasha, _sit!_ "

Inuyasha slammed into the ground, caught off guard and losing his sword. "What... the hell..."

Kagome hurried in front of Inuyasha to protect him from Koga. "Koga, this has to stop. Yuuki doesn't know what you're talking about- none of us do!"

"I'm sorry, Kagome." She faltered at his serious expression. "I can't take your word, not this time. My comrades were attacked- killed, and their descriptions of the assailant match _her_ perfectly." He jabbed a finger at Yuuki and her heart sank. He turned to her and added, "I would never hurt you, Kagome, but I'll slaughter anyone else that stands in my way of having that murderer's head!"

 _Murderer_. The word echoed inside Yuuki and Kinya's sickly state crossed her mind. She looked to the ground sadly. _I guess he's not wrong..._

"Fine!" Yuuki looked up to see Kagome blocked her from Koga again. "Then until we can prove to you that Yuuki is innocent; take me as your hostage!"

Yuuki was shocked. "Kagome..."

"Are you insane!?" Inuyasha shouted from the ground, still dislodging himself. "This guy is a _fucking_ lunatic! How can you trust him at this point!?"

Koga was surprised as well, but recovered. "And if they can't prove it, what'll I do with you?"

"Whatever you like at that point," she replied, "because we're not going to fail in proving her innocence. She didn't kill anyone!"

"Really," Koga smirked. "That means you'll become my wife."

"Who does he think he is?" Inuyasha growled. "That can't happen…!"

Yuuki's head was spinning. "W-wait a minute," she reached out to her friend, "Kagome, you can't-"

"It's fine," she smiled back at her. "I'm not entirely sure what the situation is, but knowing you're not the culprit, it won't take long to prove that. Besides, I trust Koga."

"Kagome..." Yuuki glanced up at Koga, seeing him stare at her with a blush.

"No way am I letting you have Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted and jumped over the girls to attack him.

Kagome closed her eyes. "Inuyasha, sit!" He slammed deep into the ground again.

"All right, it's decided." Koga moved too fast to follow, and the next thing Yuuki saw was Koga's back to them holding Kagome bridal style with her backpack on the ground. "Everyone, we're heading back to the den."

"Dammit…" Inuyasha struggled to lift his head to glare at him. "Wait…!"

"Later, mutt," Koga smirked at him. "I have what I want now."

"Kagome!" Yuuki shouted and Koga and his pack mates ran off faster than they could keep up with.

"Damn…" Inuyasha slowly brought himself to his feet and grabbed his sword, his Tessaiga transforming big again. He sheathed it away as he said, "We need to go after them."

"Then what's the use of her becoming a hostage?" Miroku questioned.

He was frustrated. "Yes, I know, but…"

"We know Koga won't hurt Kagome," Sango said, gaining their attention. "He cares about her too much. So we should search the forest first. According to Koga, they're being attacked every day. We may be able to find some clues to clear Yuuki's name and get Kagome back."

"Fine," he snapped and marched off.

Yuuki watched him, feeling even more guilty. She picked up Kagome's backpack and walked with the others after him, "So, who was that Koga guy?"

"Koga is the leader of the wolf demon tribe," Miroku replied. "He has the jewel shards of the Shikon Jewel in his legs. We first met him when he kidnapped Kagome to have her help him."

"Help him? For what?"

"His tribe was being attacked by some demons called the Birds of Paradise," Shippo explained, jumping up onto her shoulder. "The birds had jewel shards and he needed Kagome to find which one had them so he could defeat them. While he kept her hostage he fell _madly_ in love with her. So whenever he's around he's always asking Kagome to marry him and Inuyasha get's super jealous and full of rage."

"Shut up, Shippo!" He shouted back at them.

Yuuki's heart nearly stopped. Then it suddenly it kicked up to speed- she was panicking. _Inuyasha doesn't love Kagome, does he?_ Looking to Inuyasha, she had to ask, "Jealous?"

He turned away to hide his blush. "I don't get jealous- why should I!? She just hands herself over willingly to that flea ridden wolf anyways! Honestly we should just leave her with him!"

Sango and Miroku took discreet looks back at Yuuki, seeing her pale and staring at the ground silently. _My chest is hurting again._ The thought of Inuyasha already liking someone else made her heart twist. It took a lot of self control to not grab at her chest. _It doesn't make sense. They fight more than anything. They said they weren't together to begin with._ Slowly she was convincing herself to calm down. _Besides that, it doesn't matter to me. It doesn't! I don't like Inuyasha like that. I don't!_

Why was it becoming difficult to convince herself?

The group rounded the bend on the path and stopped short, seeing a man lying on the ground just ahead. "A wolf demon," Sango realized.

"Yes," Miroku narrowed his eyes at the demon. "Why is he on the ground?"

"It could be a trick." She took the lead as they cautiously approached. They huddled around as Sango knelt to him. "It's Ginta!" She said in surprise. "He's injured and has lost consciousness."

"Ginta?" Yuuki questioned.

"He's basically Koga's second-in-command," Shippo explained. "He and Hakkaku, another wolf demon, follow him everywhere. The last survivors of Koga's original clan's massacre."

She stared down at Ginta. _A survivor...of a massacre._ Koga's original clan was nearly wiped out. Now it was happening again? He must be blinded by fury.

"He must have been on patrol," Sango said as she examined his wounds. "These are recent, I'd say a couple hours ago."

"I'll tend to him." Sango moved out of Yuuki's way as she knelt to him, pulling Kagome's backpack around. "It's the least I can do since my impersonator did this."

"Try not to take it personally, Yuuki," Miroku said as she rummaged for Kagome's supplies. " _You_ haven't done anything."

"Yeah, he's right," Sango said gently.

Yuuki didn't reply as she pulled out some bandages and ointment. Right as she readied to dab his open wounds with the ointment, Ginta's eyes fluttered open. " _Ahh!_ " She jumped from surprise and he scrambled back away from her, thudding against the trunk of a tree. "I-it's you!"

She blinked at him in shock as Inuyasha said, "Hell, he's _terrified_ of her."

"Wait- please," she reached out to him, but he yelled again, cowering against the tree.

"D-Don't come near me!" He put up his arms to defend himself, shutting his eyes tight. "Don't pretend nothing happened! You're just going to attack me again! I've had enough, please!" Yuuki stared at him at a loss. _I've never seen anyone so petrified of me._ It hurt. She realized that her heart was hurting, taking his reaction to her personally. "Murderer!" He cried. "Someone help me! It's the murderer!"

"Ginta, please!" She begged.

"Shut it, you!" Inuyasha suddenly kicked him in the head.

Ginta cried out and held his throbbing head. "Inuyasha, stop it!" Yuuki yelled, waving him away. "Leave him alone!"

"But he was yelling stupid shit!" He said in his defense.

"He's _scared_ , can't you see that!?" Inuyasha stared at her. He could see clearly in her face that she was becoming personally affected by Ginta's reaction. He sighed and walked away from him, leaving her to cautiously crawl towards him. "Ginta, please, it's all right. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry for Inuyasha."

Ginta peeked at her from between his arms. He then glanced around, fully realizing the others were there. He then lifted his head in surprise. "You're all Kagome's friends!"

"Hey, Ginta," Shippo smiled. "Long time no see!"

"Ah," he looked around confused. "But where's Kagome?"

"Long story short, she's with Koga as a hostage," Miroku replied. "Listen, Ginta, we need the full story of what's going on around here. You were terrified of our friend Yuuki here," Ginta looked at the girl he recognized before, seeing her sad expression. "Why is that?"

"W-Well..." He still shied away from her as he explained, "A few days ago, a woman that looks exactly like her started attacking us... She only injured a few to start, but after a while she began killing our kind, attacking a few times a day and our night patrols. She makes sure no one follows her, and we haven't been able to track her down. She just vanishes."

"Well that's a lot of help," Inuyasha grumbled from behind them.

Yuuki glanced back, but then looked to the ointment she held. "You guys should search around here, Ginta's wounds are still fairly recent. She might came back for him, so I'm going to stay here."

"Wh-why?" Ginta asked in a panic. "Why be alone with me?"

"I just want to heal your wounds," she replied quietly. "And I'll protect you."

Ginta watched her face for a moment. With how sad and defeated she looked, he began to feel a little guilty. "Um, well, all right then. Thank you."

Inuyasha sighed as he walked off, "All right, we'll be back."

"Be alert," Sango advise before they split up.

Once they were gone, Ginta stared at Yuuki nervously while she kept her gaze down. She simply thought about Koga's hateful looks and words. Ginta was truly scared of her. _Murderer._ She took a breath and lifted her head. "Would it be all right if I moved closer?" He hesitated, but nodded. Slowly she crawled up to him, making sure she froze when he flinched or jerked. "I'm going to apply this ointment to your smaller cuts, but for the deeper ones I'll have to disinfect them first."

"A-all right..." Ginta kept his eyes on her face, still nervous as she reached for his arm. Once she touched him, however, he surprisingly felt more at ease. She didn't hurt him, and she was careful and gentle. _Her hands are soft_ , he realized. He blinked, watching her work and feeling her hands and fingers brushing against his skin. It made him feel tingly and he blushed. _Is this how Koga feels when Kagome tends to his wounds?_

Yuuki brought out a brown bottle and some cotton balls, applying the liquid from the bottle to them. "This will sting," she warned.

Dabbing at the gash across his stomach, he winced, but kept his composure for the most part. While she was bent over focusing on his wound, he took the opportunity to sniff at her. He perked up surprised, "You smell good." She blinked and looked up at him. He panicked, blushing more, "I-I mean- what I mean is, you don't smell like that other woman."

"Oh?"

"No, not at all!" He cleared his throat and forced himself to calm down. "You smell like flowers, it's calming, actually. The other woman smelled like... clay."

She furrowed her brows, "Clay?"

He hummed and nodded. "Burnt clay."

"Well, I suppose that's something." Though what it meant, she had no idea, and resumed on his wounds.

"Um, what's your name?"

"Fujiwara Yuuki."

Feeling a bit guilty, he said, "Yuuki, I'm sorry about my reaction earlier. I had passed out when that woman attacked me, and when I saw your face I..." He blinked. She was shaking. When he heard a sniff he became alarmed. "A-are you crying!?"

"I'm sorry," she quickly pulled back and put her face in her haori sleeve. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." She couldn't stop. The tears started coming out, and when Ginta asked she just cracked. She sniffled and hiccupped, trying to wipe the tears away so they could stop. "I'm so sorry..."

"N-no! _I'm_ sorry!" He panicked, waving his arms, unsure of what to do to fix the situation. "I didn't mean to act the way I did, I'm sorry, please don't cry, Yuuki!"

"They're right..." Ginta froze and blinked, listening as she muffled into her sleeve, "They're right... I'm a murderer... It's my fault... I shouldn't be here..."

"Yuuki...?" Feeling concerned, he carefully took her arm and moved it away, getting a clear look at her face. Her eyes were shimmering and red from the tears, her face red across her nose as she sniffled. "Hey... I know it's not your fault, I can see your face now." She glanced up at him and he smiled. "You look really similar, but she was more... I don't know, it looked like she had painting on her face. Her lips were red and there was brown on her eyes. Besides that her hair wasn't pulled back, and that's something!"

"Ginta..." Her face twisted up before she began crying again, falling into Ginta's chest.

He went beet red, frozen for a moment. Hearing her cry made him snap out of it and he held her, thinking that would be what Koga would do. _I've never had a woman cry in my arms before_. He swallowed, feeling nervous again, but with butterflies in his stomach. "H-hey, it's okay. You're not a murderer. You didn't do anything wrong; you helped me!"

 _But I'm killing someone_ else. Yuuki let herself cry for a moment. She needed to get it out, her sadness and frustration. Ginta was kind enough to let her, stroking her hair to try and soothe her. Eventually she was too tired and she was able to calm down, the tears stopping. Sniffling and wiping away the last of them, she sat back up and said, "I'm sorry... That was probably rude, since we just met. I've never done that before."

He blinked. "You mean cry?" She nodded. He mustered a smile, "Well it's all right. I can't imagine how hard it would be having people you've never met before reacting the way me and my comrades have." Yuuki took a breath and nodded. She then continued to finish up with Ginta's wounds and was done by the time her friends came back.

"We didn't find anything," Shippo said regretfully.

"It's all right," Yuuki replied, and Ginta helped her to her feet.

"You don't need to worry," he smiled at her, "I'm going to try and talk to Koga."

She looked up at him surprised, "Really?"

He nodded. "He's not very good at listening, but there's a chance he'll listen to me." He then poked his fingers together bashfully, blushing, "It's the least I can do in return for you healing my wounds."

Shippo stared at his strange behavior and then looked up at Sango. "Does he like Yuuki now?"

Sango looked down at him. "Seems that way."

"W-well, I should get back to Koga. I'll see you later, Yuuki!" He said and then ran off.

"Ah-wait!" She called after him, but he was gone.

She sighed, dropping her arm as Miroku said, "Well there's that, but now we need to find his den. Let's see if we can find any more understanding wolf demons."

The group ran off desperately searching for any wolf demons. Keeping along to the path they eventually came across two, but they spotted them back and shouted in fright, "Oh no! It's the woman!"

"She's found us! Run!"

"Hey, wait!" Yuuki called desperately, but they ran off.

They came across more wolf demons, but again they saw her. "Damn, it's the witch again!"

"Let's get out of here!" And they took off again.

"Stop!" Yuuki shouted, only to be left in the dust.

After about their fourth encounter and Yuuki getting called a murderess bitch, she was starting to feel depressed again. Inuyasha looked over at her gloomy aura and said, "Quit sulking."

"This isn't good," Sango said, "If they even see you they'll start running."

"Then what do we do?" Shippo asked.

Miroku looked to Inuyasha and asked, "Can't you track their scent, Inuyasha?"

"Don't you think I would've done that already," he replied annoyed, crossing his arms. "This forest is covered in their stench, I can't find a clear path anywhere."

Sango thought for a moment and then perked up, dropping her fist in her palm. "I got it!" They all looked at her as she said, "The garlic we got from the farmer! If we can plant it on one of the wolf demons then Inuyasha can find them easily."

Inuyasha swayed, looking sick as he just remembered the smell. Yuuki blinked in surprise and said, "I forgot we actually got that." She brought the backpack around and rummaged through it. She pulled out the container and Inuyasha cowered away from it. Yuuki handed the box to Sango saying, "It's safe to bet that you have the best throwing arm here."

Sango nodded and took the box. "All right," Miroku said. "Let's go find some wolf demons."

They took off again and wandered aimlessly. They eventually came across more wolf demons that spotted them, too. "It's the evil hag!" One of them shouted. Yuuki went dismal again.

"Run! Run away!" The other shouted and they took off.

"Sango!" Miroku exclaimed.

"Right!" Sango opened the container and took out the garlic. Inuyasha stumbled back as if he was punched by the smell and Shippo's eyes rolled back as he dropped to the ground. Sango chucked the garlic and Yuuki was surprised at how fast it flew. It slammed hard enough into the wolf demon's back that it exploded and he went flying forward, landed on his front and sliding a little.

"Damn," she murmured impressed.

"I've been hit!" The wolf demon cried in panic.

"Come on!" His friend came back and dragged him to his feet. They took off quickly and escaped.

"Hurry, Inuyasha!" Miroku said to him. "Follow the scent!"

They looked back at him to see him on the ground in the fetal position. "I can't," he groaned looking sick. "I'm gonna die…" Shippo shoved his head in the bushes and made sick.

Sango was surprised at the state they were in. "The smell got them again," she realized. "You're a real mess there, huh, Inuyasha."

"Shut up, Sango…" He _hurk'd_ and covered his mouth.

Staring down at him Miroku said, "You poor thing."

Inuyasha took great effort to give him a pitiful glare. "Like you give a shit…"

"Inuyasha," Yuuki knelt to him and he glanced at her serious expression. "Koga still has Kagome hostage. Ginta might try and talk to him, but can you trust him not to have his way with her?"

"Uugh…" He struggled to pick himself up off the ground. "Why should… I care? She went with him… On her free will…" He got to his feet and wiped the sweat off his brow. "I need to find her to give her a piece of my mind though."

Yuuki looked over at Shippo as he translated from the bushes, "He's- _uuah_ \- worried about Kagome a lot..."

"Shut up, Shippo." He then sniffed and turned to the direction the demons ran. "It's this way." He ran off and the others quickly followed, Miroku snagging up Shippo by his tail. He led them in confidence, only pausing a couple times to sniff the air. Traveling further into the forest they came by a river. He pointed ahead of them and said, "Their lair is over there."

"I hope Kagome is all right," Shippo said from Miroku's shoulder.

"Of course she is," Inuyasha snapped. They followed him through the beaten path along the river until they came to a bridge.

On the bridge laid two dead wolf demons, their blood staining the wood a dark brown color. Judging from the smell it was longer ago than Ginta's attack. "What an unforgivable thing to do," Sango murmured as they slowly approached.

Staring at them as they passed, Yuuki said, "It's hard to believe that someone is impersonating me and slaughtering these demons. I mean, what could their purpose be?"

"Well, we're gonna find out," Inuyasha replied.

"He's right," Miroku agreed. Staring ahead he then noticed a hole in the cliff side. He pointed at it and said, "There, just ahead, that's their den."

Pushing through the bushes to get to it, they found a wolf demon propped up against a tree just outside the den, groaning. Yuuki gasped and pushed past them to run to him. "Hold on," she said as she knelt to the demon. "Let me heal your wounds."

"Is he awake?" Sango asked as they approached.

Rummaging through Kagome's backpack she replied, "Just barely." She began putting ointment on his cuts.

Then someone shouted, "Hey!" They quickly looked over to the den entrance, seeing two fearful looking wolf demons staring at her. "W-What did you do to my friend!?"

"Wait!" Yuuki stood up and held up the bandages saying, "I'm helping him!"

"We gotta get Koga!" One shouted and the other ran back into the den. He pointed at her accusingly, glaring at her with hate. "You'll pay for what you've done, witch!" Yuuki stared at him hurt as he ran back after his friend.

"They've mistaken us again!" Shippo exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well what do you expect?" Inuyasha questioned. "They're wolf demons; they have puny minds. Come on, Kagome's gotta be in that cave."

Yuuki finished up with the injured demon and hurried after them into the cave. At the far back they could see a light and ran for it. Getting closer they could see Kagome sitting on the ground under the torch. "Kagome!" He shouted.

Kagome looked up and then stood, smiling at them. "Everyone!" She then blinked and looked behind her, suddenly seeing Koga standing there and flanked by his men.

"You're not trying to take Kagome away from me without my knowing, were you, mutt?" Koga questioned, glaring at him accusingly.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Inuyasha asked concerned, ignoring Koga completely.

She nodded to him and Koga raised his fist shouting, "Hey, mutt, I'm talkin' to you!"

Yuuki looked around and then saw Ginta standing by Koga. She perked up and called out, "Ginta!"

"Huh?" He saw her and smiled with a wave. She sweat dropped at him. _Don't say hi, talk to Koga!_ Ginta then realized something and turned to Koga saying, "Um, Koga…"

"Huh?" He glanced at him and then stared at them unhappily. "Right. Fine. But no matter what your story is, it's not like I can believe you just like that. My friends are getting attacked, I lose a comrade every day," as he explained his aggravation grew. "And the one that's been attacking us looked exactly like you." He pointed at Yuuki and she frowned sadly. "I still need some proof that you aren't the one that's been killing my friends- not just for me but for my men as well." She sighed in defeat. _What can I do at this point?_ If Ginta's word wasn't enough, then they had nothing else to offer him. "Or, you can just hand her over to us."

Inuyasha glared at him and opened his mouth to shout, but Yuuki stuck her arm out to stop him. He blinked at her confused. "Yuuki?"

Ginta became worried while Koga watched her with a sharp eye. "So be it," she said and walked forward. "I have no other evidence to offer you, Koga. You're accusing me, so let Kagome go and I'll listen to you." She couldn't leave her friend in her stead, even if she trusted this man.

"What are you saying?" Sango questioned in absurdity. "You can't do that!"

"So, you finally admit you're the killer," Koga said with a smirk.

Yuuki lifted her head and stared him down. "I would never kill- not senselessly like this. There's an imposter of me out there doing this, that's a fact, but I can't leave Kagome in my place like this. It's not fair."

"You idiot!" Inuyasha snapped and she ignored him. "Do you realize what you're doing!? He can kill you!"

"Of course I realize what I'm doing," she replied in annoyance, not breaking eye contact with Koga. "I'm not any closer to getting home as it is, and there's no way Koga is going to just let us leave. We have no other proof that I'm not the killer, and we can't have Kagome stay here forever until we figure this out because we don't know how long this could take!"

Ginta stared sadly as Koga grinned wickedly, raising a clawed hand. "Then get on your knees and bow your head so I can cut it off."

"Well then!" Miroku said cheerfully, getting everyone's attention. He walked forward, his staff jingling. "I suppose we just have to teach them a lesson, isn't that right, Sango?"

Yuuki glanced back confused, seeing her step forward as well with her own smile. "Koga, do you _really_ think we'd let you hurt our friend?" Kirara transformed beside her and roared. "We'll fight off your whole tribe if we must."

 _Did she just declare war on them?_ "Idiot," Inuyasha smiled at her dumbstruck face. "Like we're just going to abandon you."

She only stared at him. She then looked over at Kagome to see her smiling at her. She only nodded. Yuuki wasn't sure how she should react, but she felt… Happy. They were just going to jump into battle with people they knew to help her? "If you all are on her side," Koga said and his comrades crouched down, snarling and ready to attack. "Then we'll kill you, too!"

"Wait!" Ginta ran out and stood between the two forces, putting his arms out to protect Yuuki.

"Ginta?" Koga questioned in surprise. Everyone else stared in surprise as well that the timid wolf demon would stand up to his leader. "What are you doing?" He asked, genuinely confused.

Ginta had his eyes shut tight, nervous sweat building on his brow as he tried to build up his courage. He swallowed and stared up at Koga meekly saying, "I-I have to protect her… Because I love her!"

There was silence.

Both sides had blinking eyes, stunned and confused. Shippo mumbled from the side, "That probably sounded a lot more manly in his head."

Yuuki was the most flabbergasted, she didn't have a single thing to say to that, but her face was slowly turning red. _Did... someone just confess their love for me...?_ Ginta? Someone she just met? A demon?

Koga was dumbstruck as well. The first one to recover was one of Koga's men, "What!?" he shouted, making Ginta flinch. "Traitor!"

"Kill him, too!" Another shouted. "He's been bewitched!"

"Now hold on!" Koga shouted at them and they backed down immediately. He relaxed and crossed his arms, staring at Ginta hard. "All right, fine. You have my attention. So explain yourself."

Ginta stood upright and said, "W-Well… I was attacked by the witch and was left for dead. But Yuuki found me and saved me. If she didn't help me then I would have been a goner, and she has a completely different scent from the witch. The woman attacking us smells like burnt clay, while Yuuki smells of beautiful flowers!" Inuyasha snickered while Yuuki turned more red, feeling embarrassed by his words. "And if that's not enough…" He lowered his arms and looked over at Kagome saying, "She's one of Kagome's friends. Isn't _that_ proof that she isn't a bad person?"

Koga hummed long and hard, thinking it over long enough to test Inuyasha's patience. "Koga," Kagome stepped forward and got his attention. "Yuuki has been my best friend since we were children. She may not look it, but she's from the future- from my time. She's a victim of Naraku just like the rest of us. We were passing through this forest to get to Ayame Village in search of Naraku in hopes of getting her back home."

He frowned, not liking it, possibly just being stubborn. Looking back at Ginta he asked, "You'll really protect her?" He nodded furiously. Releasing a long, drawn out sigh he finally relented, "She isn't the killer."

"What!?" The wolf demon shouted.

"Koga, why all of a sudden!?"

"Pipe down," Koga said to them. "We were too desperate to find whoever was responsible and we almost accused the wrong person."

"Thank you, Koga, for understanding." Kagome smiled at him. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted you to stay longer, but…" Kagome nodded and walked back to her group of friends. He then glared at Inuyasha and said, "Hey, mutt!"

He glared back. "Whaddya want, ya scrawny wolf?"

"Kagome is still my woman," He warned him. "You can have her back for now, but you better not touch her!"

"Who do you think you are, you mangy wolf?" Inuyasha questioned dangerously.

"Kagome needs a man like me!" Koga shouted back.

"What about what _I_ want?" Kagome asked herself tiredly.

"They're both idiots," Shippo said to her and both Miroku and Sango nodded in agreement.

Ginta turned around to Yuuki and she suddenly stiffened as he smiled at her. "I'm glad Koga decided not to kill you. He can be- um, very opinionated."

"Uh- yes," she mustered a smile. "I am grateful, Ginta, thank you. If you didn't stand up for me then our friends would be fighting each other."

"Yuuki," Ginta took up her hands and she swallowed, sweat building on her temple. Ginta was turning a bit red himself, "Um, you saved my life, so I promise you that I'll use this life to protect yours."

"I-I'm sure you would've been fine without my help in all honesty." He didn't seem to be listening, however, as he stared at her in a daydream like daze.

"Oh wow," Shippo commented from behind her, "He has it _bad_."

Yuuki felt herself shaking from nervousness. _Is just me or is he leaning in closer!?_ "Uh- um, Ginta?"

He only giggled and ran away back towards Koga. She stared after him feeling very confused and flustered. After shaking her head and coming back to her senses, she called out, "Hey," Koga looked at her. "Not to interrupt your important argument, but don't you think we should be looking for the killer now?"

"And how do you propose we do that?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, do you have any places nearby that you think the killer could be hiding?"

He glared at her annoyed. "Don't you think we would've already checked them."

She sighed, "Fine, then can anyone remember anything else about the killer beside my face?" She asked them and the wolf demons looked at each other clueless. "Ginta?" He put a hand to his chin and thought hard. She started to feel hopeless again. Could they honesty not remember _anything_ else? "All right, then let's go over what we know. The killer has to be close to here with how frequently they're attacking you. Yet somehow they always slip away. We know their scent; burnt clay. I assume you guys follow it, but it quickly disappears, right?"

"I got it!" Koga suddenly exclaimed. "I know where the killer is!"

He suddenly transformed into a cyclone and flew out of the cave with his men following after him. Annoyed Inuyasha shouted after them, "Quit doing that!"

"Hurry, we need to follow," Miroku ushered and they raced after them.

Inuyasha took the lead and they ran as fast as they could after the wolves back through the forest. They made it all the way back to the swamp where Yuuki fell into. As they approached Koga he turned to them and asked, "What took you so long?"

"You're the one that disappeared all of a sudden," Inuyasha snapped back.

"You're just slow, mutt!" Koga spat back.

"What did you say?" Inuyasha asked in a dangerous tone, both of them getting up in each other's faces.

Yuuki sighed heavily, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "I'm getting a headache."

"Please, you two!" Kagome wedged herself between them and pushed them away from each other. "We have more important things to do!"

"Why do they hate each other so much?" Sango asked.

"They're both just helpless bone-heads," Shippo replied and Miroku nodded in agreement.

" _Anyways_ **,** " Yuuki spoke up, her low tone catching the boys' attention. She stared at them hard saying, "So, has this area been checked?"

"No," Koga replied, putting a hand on his hip as he stared out at the swamp. "We'd sink in the mud if we tried to go in, and the water erases any scent."

"Well, Miroku," Kagome smiled, taking her backpack from Yuuki. "I guess you came in for us after all."

Everyone, even including Miroku, looked down at her confused. "I did?" He asked. She pulled out the snowshoes and he smiled, "I did!"

"Don't let it go to your head," Shippo warned.

Holding them up Kagome said, "If we wear these then we won't sink in the mud-" The snowshoes were missing and she blinked.

"All right," Koga said, struggling furiously to put on the shoes. "Time to avenge my comrades!" Once he managed to get them on he ran off into the swamp.

Miroku stared after him saying, "He has no patience."

"Neither do I!" Inuyasha snagged a pair from Kagome's bag and quickly put them on as well. "I want to find the killer and give them a piece of my mind, so hurry and put the stupid things on!"

The group ran together across the mud, following Koga's footprints before they disappeared. Once they reached the other side of the swamp Kagome gasped, seeing Koga collapsed and injured in the mud. "Koga!"

"Look!" Sango pointed past him. "It's Kagura and Utsugi!"

They surrounded Koga to protect him and Yuuki stared up at them confused. _Why in the world are they here?_ "Careful," Koga forced out. They looked over to see him struggling, using effort to look up at them. He clung onto a rock to keep himself from fully sinking into the mud. "They used… A strange power…"

"Koga, don't talk," Kagome quickly said. "Save your energy."

"It's still not enough…" They glared at Utsugi suspiciously.

"What are you mumbling about?" Inuyasha demanded.

Kagura gave them a condescending smile. "It's been a while. It's a shame you all didn't kill each other for us, seems you're just smart enough to not fall for our trick."

" _You_ two were up to this?" Gesturing to Koga, Yuuki raised her voice, " _You_ were the ones killing the wolf demons!?"

She smirked. "It's their own fault for being so _weak_."

"I've had enough of you!" Inuyasha shouted and pulled out his Tessaiga. "We're taking care of you right now!" He looked over at Yuuki. "Yuuki!"

"Right," she closed her eyes and folded her hands together. As her Seishin powers built up she opened her eyes and shouted, " _Spirit's Rage!_ " Her energy force shot up and then fell down on Utsugi and Kagura hard, revealing and shattering the barriers. Her eyes then widened, suddenly gasping for air. _What's going on? I'm tired so suddenly._ Still powered up she took out her talisman, making it glow, and shouted, "Inuyasha!"

"Right!" He raised his sword, seeing the tear in the demonic energies. Yuuki closed her eyes and the Tessaiga shone in a white light. " _Wind Scar!_ " His attack rushed at them across the mud in five streaks with Yuuki's Seishin spiraled around each streak.

Kagura smirked and waved her fan. " _Dance of Blades!_ " Her attack rushed at Inuyasha, but was overpowered. She glared and jumped out of the way as the attacked was veered slightly away from them, though Utsugi refused to move. She stood fearless as the attack just barely missed her, flying passed her head.

"Damn!" Inuyasha shouted. "I missed!"

The attack ran its limit and Yuuki stared at Utsugi in shock, panting heavily. _She didn't even flinch..._ Yuuki grunted and nearly fell to her knee, clutching at her chest. Sango looked over in alarm, "Yuuki!?"

There was a crack and Yuuki peered back up at Utsugi. Her eyes widened. She was so focused on Utsugi's mask that time seemed to slow. It cracked on the side, and it webbed across the face, the pieces falling away. As the parts slowly fell to the ground along with the wig of blonde hair, her face was revealed. Yuuki stared at her trembling. "What the hell…?" Utsugi stared down at her with the same light lavender eyes in a vacant expression. Her hair was brown and wild, loose in the wind. Their facial structure was the same, however she did seem to be wearing makeup. "She's…"

 _She's me._

"What's going on?" Kagome questioned. "She looks exactly like Yuuki!"

"How dare you point a knife at me," she said to Inuyasha monotone. "Interesting."

Kagura looked to her partner annoyed. "Why are you so tedious?"

"How can we attack if they look the same?" Shippo asked worried. "Won't we get confused?"

"Keep calm, Shippo, they're just trying to trick us," Miroku said as he raised his staff at them. "It's just a demon in disguise."

Utsugi stared at Yuuki. "Just a demon, huh?"

Yuuki grit her teeth. "No... she's not."

"Huh?" Her friends looked to her confused. "Yuuki?" Sango questioned.

"I don't understand what's going on... but she's me." She forced herself to stand upright again, despite the immense fatigue she felt. "She wields the Seishin like I do, and she looks exactly like me. There isn't a hint of demonic arua around her. This isn't a trick- from Naraku or anyone else."

"Utsugi, we need to go," Kagura said to her. " _Dance of Blades!_ " With a wave of her fan she hurled her attack at the ground, but Yuuki ran forward.

"Yuuki, look out!" Kagome shouted before the swamp water exploded.

They all cried out and Yuuki was bombarded by the mud. _I'm not letting them get away again!_ Her hair tie snapped and her hair was let loose in the chaos, whipping around and getting even more dirtied. While she struggled forward she felt a hand grab hers and she squeezed back.

"Let's get out of here, now." Yuuki's blood ran cold. _Kagura!?_ "Don't just stand around, hurry!" Kagura pulled her hard and she was dragged up onto something soft.

Next thing she knew she was flying out of the dirt cloud with Kagura on her giant feather. She stared at the back of Kagura's head wide eyed. _She mistook me for Utsugi!_ "Those damn wolves were smarter than I thought," she said without turning back. Yuuki panicked and looked over the edge, but they were flying too fast. They were already ascending into the clouds, making it harder to breathe.

 _I'm... I'm so fucked._ What could she do, attack Kagura _now?_ She'd fall to her death. "You're awfully quiet," Kagura commented and she swallowed. "Don't be sulking again. So long as you work with Naraku he'll assure you get what you want."

Yuuki felt pressured to speak. Trying to keep her voice as monotone as possible she asked, "What now."

"Now we go back to Naraku," she replied and Yuuki bit her lip. "We need another plan to get that girl. The trick will be separating her from her friends."

 _Mission accomplished._ While Yuuki was full of dread, she was forced to hold it in. She was too far away from her friends at this point, having no idea where they were heading. She would just have to sit quiet as Kagura took her directly to Naraku.


	9. Dream Within the Nightmare

While Yuuki was forced to resign herself to the situation, she was desperately preparing herself for what was to come.

The flight on Kagura's feather was a sweet relief to her body. After using her Spirit's Rage to destroy Kagura and Utsugi's barriers she felt considerably weaker. _I suppose this is the drawback. It was stupid of me to think I could it continuously._ She needed rest- she needed sleep. She tried to keep her breathing controlled while they flew at too high of an altitude for a human. Thankfully Kagura wasn't one for talking, or checking on her. She would have to play as Utsugi until she found a way out of this situation.

Yuuki's stomach dropped as Kagura suddenly took them on a nose dive. They broke through the clouds and were racing towards what looked like an empty cliff. Until they were suddenly consumed by a thick dark fog. Yuuki winced as they flew through a pushing force, her hair whipping behind her furiously. _What is this? A barrier?_ It was different from the ones she had encountered before.

Once they successfully passed through, Yuuki was hit by the demonic energy. She found herself shaking, wanting to run and hide. She dug her nails in her palms to keep herself grounded. _How the hell is all of this negative energy being suppressed by a mere barrier!?_ Within the barrier they entered the sky was tinted dark, on the cliff was a single level castle that had been invisible before, and any greenery was dead.

"Home sweet home," Kagura murmured sarcastically. Once they were low enough to the ground she cancelled her spell, leaving Yuuki to land on her feet without warning. The feather twirled to its original size and Kagura caught it, sticking it back in her hair. Glancing back at Yuuki she said, "Come on," and headed for the castle.

Fists tight at her sides, Yuuki followed while keeping her expression as even as possible. For how weak she was, she felt as if Naraku's demonic energy would crush her. The air was stagnant, making it even harder to catch a breath.

While they walked through the empty halls of the castle, Kagura looked back at her and asked, "You had a hard time, didn't you? You seem more sulky than usual."

Avoiding eye contact with her Yuuki replied, "I underestimated them."

With a sigh Kagura turned back around, tapping her fan on her shoulder. "Oh well. The wolf demon's aren't that big of a deal. I just thought I'd make it easier for myself by tricking them into fighting Inuyasha and his pathetic group, then I'd take care of the rest myself." Smirking back at her she added, "However you still took care of a score of them. That wolf Koga was hopping mad wouldn't you say?"

She continued to avoid Kagura's eyes. "I don't care. I simply want the girl."

Kagura frowned before turning back around. "Always one for conversation, aren't you." She then stopped suddenly, "Hold on." Yuuki's heart was lodged in her throat when she turned around and looked her up and down, inspecting her too thoroughly for Yuuki's liking. "You're absolutely filthy." Yuuki looked down at herself. She was covered in mud head to toe, whatever slight differences she and Utsugi had would have been covered up by it. _Oh thank god._ Her heart lowered back to her chest. Gesturing to the room beside them with her fan she said, "Go make yourself decent. I'm going ahead to speak to Naraku, stay put until I return."

Kagura then walked away and Yuuki hurried in, sliding the door closed behind her. Once she felt safe enough she completely collapsed. _I'm safe. I'm okay. It's okay._ She let herself lay on the floor for a moment to gather herself. She calmed herself down and caught her breath, but from the stress and fatigue tears were prickling her eyes. _I'm trapped. I'm trapped in Naraku's lair._

Slowly did she force herself up, resting on her legs as she looked around the room. _Is this Utsugi's room?_ Though her legs were still protesting, she forced herself back to her feet. There was a futon on the floor that hardly looked touched, and a wardrobe. Aside from that the room was barren. She walked up to the wardrobe and opened it up, finding a couple spares of Utsugi's clothing. Pushing the robes aside, hanging on the back of the dresser was the same oni mask with the giant straw wig. She was overcome with relief, oddly enough. _I hate that mask, but it'll help conceal me. Hopefully her smell will smother out my own._

Continuing to explore, she found that the room was connected to a small washroom. However there was only a bucket of cold water. _Seems I have no choice._ Yuuki stripped herself of the muddy priestess clothing and use the cold water to wash away any mud still clinging to her skin as well as cleaning her rosary. She couldn't do much for her hair, but she did what she could. _Having so much hair is more trouble than it's worth in this Era._ Deciding to take care of it another time, she hugged her naked shivering body as she hurried back to the wardrobe, quickly putting Utsugi's clothes on. After tightening on the obi, she checked herself and found hidden pockets inside the sleeves. She hid her talisman and rosary within them, and then turned to the mask.

"Why anyone would wear such an ugly thing is beyond me," she murmured to herself as she took it. Moving the large straw wig around to conceal her hair, she attached the mask to her face. Aside from hiding her face it wasn't very convenient since the eye holes were too small for proper vision. She had to turn her head fully to look around. _However I supposed it's better than Naraku figuring out he successfully captured me._

Kagura had told her to stay put, however Yuuki was too jittery. Her palms had a permanent sheen of sweat from her nervousness, and the mask was making it hard to breathe for her, the inside heating up quickly from her breath. She couldn't stay, she needed to move. _Perhaps if I'm lucky I'll happen upon a way out of here._ Opening the door again, she poked her head out and looked up and down the hall. Well, there was no sign of Kagura at least.

She had to walk the hall calmly as she made her way back to the courtyard just in case someone spotted her. When she came to the porch out front, she stopped short in surprise. _Kohaku!_ The boy in his demon slayer garb was standing at the railing staring out at the grey and barren landscape. She swallowed nervously and approached.

When she came closer to him she narrowed her eyes, getting a better look at his face. He was standing eerily still as his eyes were glazed over like before. The mask hid her sad look. _Oh, Kohaku..._ She could hear the soft pats of footsteps and she looked back, seeing Kagura approach. "Don't waste your time with Kohaku," she said and Yuuki turned to her, seeing her stare down at Kohaku bored. "He's Naraku's puppet. He never speaks without a will of his own." She then gestured down the hall, "Naraku wishes to see you. I suggest you don't keep him waiting."

She looked past Kagura to see the open doors further down. Her heart was hammering again, but she walked without a fuss. _What do I do? Will he see through my act?_ She forced herself to keep her hands calm at her sides, back straight and head high. Slowly as she neared Naraku's room she could feel the demonic energy washing over her wave after wave. It made her bones tremble. _Well, worse come to worse, I can try to bargain again._

She entered the room and stopped, staring at Naraku who stared back. He was lounging in bed, robes open to show his chest and- thank goodness his blanket was over his waist, hair more disheveled than before. _What did I walk into?_ He smiled at her, though any smile he had wasn't friendly. "Utsugi, Kagura told me what happened in the woods with the wolf demons. I can't believe you had such a hard time with Inuyasha."

 _He's patronizing me._ "Not him," she corrected, keeping her voice devoid of emotion. "The girl was strong."

That made him chuckle. "Yes, she's full of surprises. She can break any barrier now, can't she?" His eyes turned sharp as he watched her. "I don't believe even you can do that."

 _Utsugi can't break barriers?_ Yuuki kept herself steady as her mind raced, her hopes rising. _Perhaps I_ could _bargain with him again._ Keeping that in mind, she knew Naraku was testing Utsugi's patience. _Utsugi would possibly fight tooth and nail to have me._ She narrowed her eyes slightly, "An impressive feat, but it can only go so far. My powers are more fully developed than hers."

Naraku chuckled again, but he seemed to ease up. "So quick to be on the defensive. Not to worry, I'm still interested in our deal." Yuuki nodded. _Though I wish you'd tell me what it was._ "Anyways, the reason I called for you. I have a task for you. I need you to find a girl named Rin and bring her to me." Yuuki stared at him. _A girl?_ She had never heard the name before. "Kagura," he called and sure enough Yuuki felt her presence walk up beside her. "Take Utsugi to the mountain valley east of here. That's where Rin will be."

"Fine," Kagura replied, obviously annoyed. "Come, Utsugi," she said and walked off.

Yuuki turned and followed her obediently without a word. _They're letting me out of the castle! This will be my only chance to escape._ They walked passed Kohaku who didn't even register that they were there. Though it hurt, she couldn't do anything for the boy now. Once they were out in the courtyard Kagura plucked out a feather and tossed it up, transforming it. She and Yuuki got on and then flew off out of the barrier. Once they passed the smoke again Yuuki looked back, not seeing a trace of the castle. _There must be a source to that barrier inside. Perhaps a crystal. If I could somehow break that then the barrier will fall._ She tried to memorize the location before they flew into the clouds and out of the castle's sight.

After a while Kagura decided to speak up, "It's very curious that you would team up with Naraku."

The higher they flew the harder it became to breathe again. Still there was a pause and Yuuki needed to say something. "It's very curious how resentful you are towards Naraku." She noticed that Kagura tensed up for a moment.

"So… You noticed," she said and Yuuki refused to say anything. Kagura looked back at her over her shoulder and smirked at her. "Trust me, you'll see why soon enough."

When she turned back around, Yuuki decided to take a gamble. "Perhaps you and I could team up."

Kagura whipped her head back around to stare at her in shock. Yuuki's heart lodged in her throat and she broke out into an all body sweat. _Shit, I didn't expect such a reaction!_ Kagura blinked, but then laughed. Yuuki nearly collapsed off the feather in relief. "I didn't think you had a sense of humor."

"Who said I was joking?" Yuuki questioned. _I'm toeing a_ dangerous _line here._ Kagura looked back at her with a more curious expression. Yuuki's eyes widened behind the mask. _She's considering it?_ "You're his incarnation. You seem to have more of a will than that boy. I assume you'd rather not follow his orders."

Kagura frowned, "Don't talk so loud about it, even if we're alone." She turned back around and added quietly, "There's no point. You and I are both better off not defying him. You're just a doll; he's more clever than you."

 _A doll...?_ While Yuuki tucked that information away, she felt elated that there was a weakness in Naraku's defenses. If she could convince Kagura to betray Naraku then they could have someone on the inside. For now Yuuki decided to drop the subject. _I need to escape and get back to my friends. I need them to help me with this plan._

Yuuki couldn't guess how far they flew with how high they were. Once they began descending she almost sighed in relief, her lungs filling up fully as they approached the ground. They broke out of the clouds and Yuuki stared down at the vast, colorful fields. _This is certainly a ways away from the wolf demon forest._ Once they were close enough to the ground she jumped off with Kagura just as the feather transformed again, fitting into her hand. "The girl, Rin, should be around here somewhere," Kagura said in disinterest, looking around lazily.

Yuuki looked over at her. "You're bored."

Kagura looked back at her and asked, "What was your first clue." She looked away and glared out at the distance. "Naraku's always ordering me around to do tedious tasks such as this. These underhanded methods don't satisfy me; I'd rather use my own raw power."

Though her face was hidden, Yuuki resisted a smile. _I'm learning an awful lot about you, Kagura._ Thankfully she was a chatterbox. She turned away from her and said, "Do as you like. Naraku instructed me to complete this task; I'm capable on my own."

Kagura looked over at her surprised. She then smirked, "If you insist. I'll be back sometime later to check your progress, though don't expect me to rush." The wind whipped up as she transformed her feather again and flew off.

Yuuki stared up at her and watched as she disappeared into the clouds. Once she was gone Yuuki ripped off the mask and fell back into the flowers and lush grass. She nearly cried in relief. "I did it... I survived..." So tired, so, so tired. Yuuki laid there for a while, soaking up the sun and allowing herself a break as her exhaustion hit her with full force. With the adrenaline subsiding she doubted she could stand ever again. Staring up at the clouds, she wondered how far away she was from her friends. _I'll need to get my bearings... Find a village nearby..._ Her eyes were slowly closing on her. _Maybe I can rest for a bit first..._

...

...

...

"Hello?"

Yuuki jolted, her eyes snapping open and her heart racing again. She blinked, seeing a girl standing over her, blocking out the sky. She hand long black hair with a small pigtail, and blinked back at her with brown eyes. She smiled, "Oh, you're awake!" _I was just about to sleep..._ Seeing it was just a girl Yuuki was able to calm down. With a grunt and some effort she pushed herself up and the girl sat back on her legs. She tilted her head and asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm all right." Yuuki looked the girl up and down again, she wore an orange checkered kosode, but it was worn and the colors were faded. _Is this the girl Naraku wanted? She seems like a normal human girl. She's no acquaintance of my friends either._ "What's your name?"

"I'm Rin," she replied. "Are you a priestess? You're dressed like one."

"Uh- yes, I am," she nodded. Looking around she asked, "Where did you come from? I didn't see any villages around."

"I could ask you the same thing," Rin smiled. Yuuki looked at her surprised, but then smiled back. "I'll tell you anyways, though, cause I can tell you're nice. I've been at this valley for a few days now, I don't live in a village. Actually, I travel a lot, but you're the first human I've seen in a really long time." Yuuki opened her mouth, but Rin continued, "So what's your name? Did you come from a village? Are you traveling as well? What do you travel for?"

She blinked at the girl. She then smiled, "I see... you don't have very many people to talk to, do you?"

Rin shook her head. "No, I don't have very many people to talk to, and I get told I talk too much."

"Well that's all right, I'm happy to talk to you. My name is Fujiwara Yuuki, and where I come from is a rather long story. I'm traveling to get back home."

"Ooh," Rin perked up, intrigued by her answers. She then tilted her head at her, "Have you been traveling a lot? You look tired, you have bags under your eyes."

Yuuki deflated a little, "Yes, I am a bit tired. I've been traveling for a while now."

Then Rin deflated a little as well. "Oh, well, I can let you go back to sleep then. Sorry for disturbing you."

Yuuki watched her face for a moment. _She seems lonely._ She didn't know Rin's whole story, but she felt it better not to ask anything too personal. However a child left by themselves for so long isn't good for them. "No, it's all right. I shouldn't be sleeping like this anyways." _She's cute, and I can't very well leave her alone. Especially with Kagura flying around._

Rin perked up, "Really? Are you sure? You look bad."

Yuuki laughed a little at that. "I'm sure I've looked worse." With a bit more effort she pushed herself to her feet, staggering a little. _I can't get far like this._ Rin hopped up to her bare feet as well and Yuuki asked, "So, what are you doing out here?"

"Right now I'm picking flowers!" She replied happily. "I'm trying to get a bunch of different flowers to make a bouquet! Do you wanna help me? It's fun and it doesn't use up a lot of energy."

Yuuki smiled, her courtesy was adorable. "I would love to help." _I haven't taken a break since coming to this Era. I am going to pick some flowers._

Rin cheered and ran off, suddenly animated while Yuuki followed after her calmly. Rin was a chatterbox, talking about how much she loved flowers, which were her favorite, talking aloud to figure out the names of certain ones. Yuuki merely smiled and let her talk, prompting her to continue when she stopped. "Flowers seem to be your hobby," she commented and Rin blinked at her.

"Hobby?"

She nodded. "A hobby is something you like to do in your free time."

"Oh, then I guess so!" Rin smiled down at her bouquet. She then turned to Yuuki and asked, "What's your hobby?"

"My hobby is acrobatics." Rin stared at her. She laughed a little, "Acrobatics is..." She hesitated, how was she going to explain this so this girl could understand. "Is... a performance."

"A performance?" Rin seemed intrigued and leaned towards her.

Yuuki nodded, "It's a performance of extraordinary human feats of balance, agility, and coordination."

"Oh."

Yuuki deadpanned, seeing Rin wasn't impressed. "W-well, I'm sure it doesn't sound as fun as picking flowers, but watch." Feeling the need to impress and show off her hobby, Yuuki took a breath and tried to find her energy. She didn't stretch, because she was too tired to put the effort in, and she really should have a spotter to do this, but oh well. She resigned herself to potentially getting hurt and put her right foot forward.

Arms up and falling forward, Rin watched in amazement as she stood on her hands and began walking around. "Wow, that's cool!"

 _And strenuous_ , her forehead started sweating from effort. After a few steps she stepped back onto her feet, and then walked forward into a cartwheel. Rin was astounded as Yuuki went to hand spring a couple times before flipping over, landing on her feet.

Rin had set her flowers down to applaud. "That was amazing, Miss Yuuki! Could you teach me!?"

Yuuki had her back to the girl- a panting and sweating mess. She tried to keep composure for the girl's sake. _Acrobatics is an important club! Perhaps if I teach people in this Era it will become more popular later._ After a deep breath and wiping her brow, she turned back around and made a smile. "Maybe not all of that, but I can at least teach you cart wheeling."

"The one where you rolled around!?"

Yuuki stared at Rin's animated expression, her eyes sparkling. Despite her exhaustion, she grinned at the girl. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

Yuuki went and taught Rin how to do a cart wheel, spending a good couple hours on mastering how to get to her hands first. In about four hours Rin was able to master it an was cart wheeling with Yuuki across the plains. Yuuki hadn't had this much fun in a while.

They came across a wild batch of sunflowers and Rin had to stop to find a perfect sunflower, falling in love with the tall sun-like plants. "Miss Yuuki!" Yuuki was in the thicket of the flowers and looked around, trying to spot the girl from the sound of rustling leaves. "Miss Yuuki!" Her little head popped out between some flowers and showed her a dwarfed sunflower. "Look! I found the perfect one!"

"That's wonderful!" Yuuki smiled and hurried out of the batch after her. After scooping up the remaining flowers, Rin continued to run off and Yuuki had to jog to keep up. "What are you going to do with your bouquet now?"

"I'm going to put them around the fire and show Lord Sesshomaru!" Yuuki stumbled to a stop. Rin eventually felt the lack of presence and slowed to a stop, looking back at Yuuki confused. "Miss Yuuki? What's wrong?"

Yuuki stared passed Rin, going into her mind. "Sesshomaru...?" Naraku sent her to capture Rin to get at Sesshomaru? _He was after Naraku as well, but we didn't know why._

"Miss Yuuki?" Yuuki quickly blinked into focus and realized Rin was right in front of her looking concerned. "Are you all right? Do you know of Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Ah, yes," Yuuki made a smile for her. "I've met him once before. I'm sure he'll appreciate the flowers." A made-up lie, however she needed to deter Rin's concerns.

It seemed to work as Rin brightened up again. "I hope so!" As she walked on again, Yuuki didn't know what else to do but follow.

She frowned at the little girl as she went into thought. _Kagome said some dark things about Sesshomaru. He was supposed to hate humans._ "Rin, do you travel with Sesshomaru?"

"Yes I do! With Master Jaken and Ah-Un," she replied, and Yuuki only felt confused. Something wasn't adding up. "We haven't been traveling a lot recently, though. We've been camped out in this valley for a few days now."

"I see... and how did you meet Sesshomaru?"

"He saved my life." Yuuki frowned to herself. _Now this makes less sense._ Rin slowed down to walk beside her and she watched the girl as she stared at the flowers, reminiscing. "I used to live at a village with humans, but they didn't like me. My mother and father died when I was young, I didn't know them. Wolf demons attacked me and I thought they got me, but I remember waking up to see Lord Sesshomaru, and Master Jaken told me he saved me." Yuuki's brows twitched together slightly. Wolf demons? Would they be affiliated with Koga and Ginta? Rin looked up at her. "I found him in the forest when I was looking for food. He was hurt really bad- his arm was missing and there was lots of blood. I tried helping him, but he didn't seem to need it."

"I see... So after he healed you were attacked by wolves?" Rin nodded. "And you've been with him ever since?"

"Yup!" She smiled, "Lord Sesshomaru makes sure to protect me, I'm safe with him. He's the greatest!"

"Ah..." Yuuki smiled at her in earnest. "Well I'm glad." What was Sesshomaru's purpose in having a human girl with him? _Rin description of him conflicts with Kagome's entirely._ Inuyasha might have hated him, but Kagome wasn't one to lie or embellish.

"How did you meet Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked.

Looking ahead she replied, "Well, he saved my life as well." _Though it wasn't intentional._ Or was it? "I was in a tight spot and I was worried I was going to die. He flew in and cut down the enemies with ease, however. He seemed like a white blur to me until he was standing right in front of me."

Rin was animated. "Lord Sesshomaru is really powerful and amazing!"

She smiled back down at her, "Well I have to agree to the powerful part."

They stopped at the top of a hill and Rin pointed down below. There was a large boulder and a tree a short ways from the river that cut through the valley. Yuuki could see the fire pit and the small imp under the tree, however she couldn't see anyone that would be Ah-Un. "That's where we're staying! Master Jaken!" She called and raced down the hill, Yuuki calmly following. "Master Jaken, I'm back!"

"Noisy girl, I was sleeping!" Jaken was standing and dusting himself off, yawning loudly and slowly waking up while Yuuki approached.

"I picked a bunch of flowers for Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin was saying excitedly, trying to catch his attention. "And I learned how to cart wheel, I can show you!"

"Meh, a what?" He looked at the bouquet unimpressed. "A wheel of a cart?"

"A cart wheel! Miss Yuuki showed me!"

"Just Yuuki is fine, Rin," she assured.

"Eh?" Jaken looked up at the woman and blinked. "AH!" Nearly jumping out of his skin, he pointed at her accusingly. "W-when did you get here!? How!? Is Inuyasha around!?"

Rin frowned as Jaken was looking around furiously on a borderline panic. "Inuyasha?" She looked back at Yuuki and asked, "Do you know Kagome and her friends?"

"Yes, they're my friends," she nodded and frowned back. "Do you know them, Rin?"

"Not really," she replied. "Master Jaken told me about them, I haven't met them yet, though."

 _So they have no idea Sesshomaru has a human companion._ "Well, they're nice people," she assured with a smile.

"You!" They both turned back to Jaken who was sweating bullets. "I don't know how you got here, but Lord Sesshomaru will return at any moment!"

"Relax, Inuyasha isn't around," she said to try and calm him down. "None of them are. I was separated from them." He seemed to calm down with her explanation.

Then there was a deep groan and heavy movement. Yuuki looked back over her shoulder- and then jumped wide eyed, fully facing the two-headed dragon that was getting up by the boulder. "What is that?" She asked in alarm, readying her arms defensively.

"Oh, that's just Ah-Un," Rin replied casually.

"Ah-Un," she repeated, looking the dragon over carefully. The beast had intelligent eyes like Kirara had, and she knew that the dragon would understand her if she spoke. _It's can't hurt me, right? It has muzzles on._ It wasn't exactly a guard dragon considering it didn't attack her when she came into the camp.

The dragon moved closer and she stiffened, her nerves going on end. She hadn't dealt with a smart creature like this and it made her nervous. Jaken outright laughed, "You're quivering in fear! Relax, girl, he only eats plants."

Hearing it was a herbivore she was able to loosen up, allowing the dragon to approach and both heads sniffing at her through the muzzles. Glaring sideways at Jaken peeved her cheeks turned pink. "I wasn't quivering."

Rin was surprised, "I haven't seen Ah-Un that interested in anyone before."

Both heads were invading her personal space, bumping her arms to lift them for a thorough sniff-down. Yuuki furrowed her brows up, "Perhaps he likes me?"

"Well unfortunately for you, you smell of flowers," Jaken explained, watching as well. "Either he thinks you have something to eat, or you _are_ something to eat."

Yuuki was suddenly nervous again. "H-hey, Ah-Un," she backed up, but was pinned against the tree. "Easy, boy, I don't have anything." Both Rin and Jaken laughed as she struggled to push the dragon away. "He can't break out of the muzzles, right?" She asked nervously, trying to shove one of his heads away.

"Ah-Un, leave her be." The familiar voice caught the dragon's attention and on command he turned away, going back to his spot by the boulder.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Both Jaken and Rin cheered, running over to him.

Rin held up her flowers, "Look at what I picked, Lord Sesshomaru! Yuuki helped me get them! And I can do a cart wheel!"

"My apologies, Lord Sesshomaru!" Yuuki watched from a distance the night and day difference between them. Rin was happy while Jaken was now a nervous wreck. "I don't know how the girl got here. She's alone, but I can make her go away if you wish!"

Sesshomaru looked between the two of them, and then looked up at Yuuki, seeing her watching them. _So I was correct._ He had caught the scent of Naraku around the edge of the valley, however stronger still were the wisteria flowers. On a hunch he hurried back to the camp. "You're alone." He would've lost the scent of Naraku for now.

She nodded back. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"Do as you will," he replied as he approached. Yuuki was surprised and tried to hide that fact. Rin and Jaken rushed around the fire bickering quietly to each other about who bothered Lord Sesshomaru more. Once Sesshomaru was near Yuuki she suddenly tensed, unsure if he was as friendly as Rin made him out to be or as dangerous as Kagome said he was. _I supposed it's possible that it's both_. "How are you alone?"

"I was separated from my friends is all," she glanced away from him, watching the dragon instead. "I'll find my way back to them eventually." _I'm worried to let him know Naraku was involved at all. Who knows how he'll react._

Sesshomaru watched her carefully. _She's hiding something._ "Lord Sesshomaru!" They both looked over to Jaken as Rin was spreading the flowers around the fire pit. "Were you able to track Naraku's scent around the valley?"

Yuuki nearly bristled, however she did her best to hide her nerves. Sesshomaru glanced at her and she looked further away. "The scent was faint and disappeared in the wind." Turning to her he added, "Your scent replaced it instead."

She glanced up at him. "R-replaced it?" _At this rate he'll find out anyways!_ "I'm sorry..." She then frowned, "Is my scent that strong?"

"Ah-Un liked it!" Rin said from the fire pit.

"What are you doing, Rin?" Jaken questioned, looking around at the splay of flowers. "Do something useful and gather wood for a fire!"

"Okay!" Hopping up to her feet she asked, "Yuuki, do you wanna help me?"

"Of course," she took the opportunity to dip out away from Sesshomaru's looming figure. Being so close to him had started making her claustrophobic.

Sesshomaru kept his eye on her as she hurried off with Rin. Jaken looked up at his lord and asked, "Lord Sesshomaru? Is something wrong?"

"No." He took a seat underneath the tree and closed his eyes, focusing on the scents floating around. What he thought was Naraku's scent was completely gone, and Yuuki's scent threatened to smother everything else out. Why? _Why is that woman's scent so strong?_

Once Rin and Yuuki were on their way back, he could hear Rin asking, "Are you all right? You look even worse now."

"I'm fine, just a little tired." Sesshomaru opened his eyes and watched as they piled the sticks into the pit. Her skin was more pale than before, and the bags under her eyes were pronounced. She rested on her knees and let out a breath. "All right, do you know how to start a fire?"

"Of course!" Jaken replied as he strut up. "Step aside!" Yuuki watched and Rin stepped away as Jaken readied his staff. "Witness the power of the _Staff of Two Heads_!" Fire shot out and set the sticks aflame.

Yuuki stared at the flames. _Couldn't we have Shippo light the fires with his fox fire?_ She then looked up and smiled at Rin as she ran around the fire. "Look, Lord Sesshomaru! Don't the flowers look pretty in the light? Do you like them?"

Yuuki looked over to see Sesshomaru eyeing the flowers on the ground. Looking up at Rin he asked, "Rin, do you like flowers?" Yuuki's eyes widened slightly. _He's learning about her._

"Yes!" She grinned at her lord. "Because I find them so beautiful!"

"Beautiful..." He looked to the flowers again, and then made eye contact with Yuuki. She felt caught suddenly. _His eyes are so piercing._ Feeling her face heating up she had to look away and scooted back from the fire- and from him.

"They're just flowers," Jaken mumbled from the side, not understanding the infatuation with them.

Rin went back over to Yuuki and dropped to her knees, inspecting her long hair. "You have so much hair!"

Yuuki smiled at that, "Yes, it's actually been a hassle. I've been debating on cutting it before I got back home, but I don't want to alarm my parents." _Of course that would be the least of my worries, wouldn't it._

"I bet it's really pretty when there isn't so much mud. I know!" Perking up, Rin ran over to Ah-Un and rummaged through the pockets of the saddle and retrieved an old hand-made wooden comb. Running back to Yuuki, she plopped down behind her and began working on her mass of hair.

Yuuki was suddenly very tired and found her eyes closing, the brushing of her hair relaxing her. Rin suddenly spoke up again, "I know, if you need help getting back home, we can take you there! Right, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"We can't," he replied simply.

Yuuki opened her eyes as she felt Rin turn dejected behind her. "Why not?"

"Because, Rin," Jaken replied from the other side of the fire. "She's not from our time."

Rin was quiet for a moment- possibly processing as Yuuki stared into the flames. "You mean like Kagome? You can go through a water well?"

She laughed a little at that. "Not quite like Kagome. I was brought here by some magic Naraku used." She sighed heavily suddenly. "It's not easy for me to get back home."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rin resumed brushing her hair. "Well, Lord Sesshomaru is after Naraku as well, he could help you get home still!"

Closing her eyes again Yuuki smiled to herself. "Yes, maybe, if your lord is as wonderful as you say he is."

"Oh he is!" She assured earnestly. Sesshomaru watched Yuuki as she chuckled. "What's your home like?"

Keeping her eyes closed, she remembered how her home looked like. She tried explaining the shrine in front of the house, the vast courtyard and Rin's favorite part; the wisteria tree. "It's massive tree created of condensed wisteria vines, the purple flowers hanging all around. I'm not sure how it was created, but its famous for its everlasting flowers. It won't wilt even in the winter."

"Wow!" Rin's eyes were sparkling. "That sounds like magic! I wanna see it!"

"Perhaps you will," she replied. "The tree has been standing tall for as long as my family can remember, recordings going back many years. Perhaps its sapling is around here somewhere."

"I hope so!"

Silence followed as Rin ran out of topics, focusing on Yuuki's mass of hair. Jaken was watching the fire for a while before he realized, _it's oddly quiet_. He looked up and blinked, seeing Yuuki's slack expression. "Is she asleep?"

"Huh?" Rin poked around her and blinked at Yuuki's face. "Yuuki?" She poked her cheek. She didn't respond. "She is!"

"It's for the best," Jaken said, looking back to the fire. "She was an exhausted looking mess. Rest will do her good."

"Rin," she perked up and looked over at her lord. "You need to find yourself food before it gets dark."

"Right!" Getting to her feet she ran off. "Come on, Master Jaken! You wanna eat too!"

Jaken grumbled, but he got up and hurried after her. "I want red meat this time!"

After they left, Sesshomaru kept his eyes trained on Yuuki's face. Was she really asleep? _Her body is too still._ Her body slumped and was falling to the side. In an instant Sesshomaru was kneeling beside her, holding her upright. He ignored the actions his body made on its own and gently laid her down on her back. _She looks like death._ If it weren't for her slow shallow breathing he would have had Tenseiga check her. He forced one of her eyes open and witnessed the lifelessness of them. "Astral projection," he realized.

Closing her eye he then checked the other one. _How was she able to leave her body so easily?_ He continued to use two fingers to check the temperature of her forehead, then the pulse on her neck. Sesshomaru knew astral projection was a great and strenuous feat. Accomplishing it was difficult enough alone, however to maintain separation for an extended period of time wasn't only more difficult, but it was dangerous as well.

 _Perhaps another force_ , he mused to himself. The spiritual strength he sensed from her wouldn't be nearly powerful enough. _Another one of Naraku's tricks?_ He had no way of tracing the soul, but at the least he could watch the body.

Ah-Un was dozing soundly to the side while Sesshomaru scooped her body up with his arm and mokomoko assisting him. Taking her closer to the tree, he laid her a safe distance from the fire before sitting back against the tree again. _Perhaps Naraku will come for her_. When Rin and Jaken returned with some game, they were so excited for their success and food that they didn't fully notice Yuuki's body closer to his.

* * *

 _Not again_... Yuuki's eyes slowly opened. Her body felt like lead again, telling her she wasn't meditating enough to have complete control.

She was lying on the tatami floor again beside the balcony. Looking over, she could see the cherry tree nearly bare of blossoms. "So, you've returned." Looking the other way, she was surprised to see Kinya sitting upright.

"Kinya..." She still appeared sickly, however she wasn't nearly as bad before. Yuuki slowly forced her spirit to get up and turned to her.

"Let me guess... You're not closer to getting home."

Yuuki shook her head. Guilt weighed on her as she watched Kinya's distant expression. "I'm sorry..." She bent forward and bowed to her. "I'm so sorry, Lady Kinya... I didn't mean for this to happen to you. It's my fault."

Kinya's chuckle made her lift her head looking confused. She had a sad smile. "I don't blame you. This is Naraku's doing."

"You didn't have to help us," Yuuki said, a bit forcefully.

She looked at her. "And allowed Naraku to capture you? That would have been far worse. This state of mine is inevitable, if he had his hands on your soul as well it would mean the end for the Dai Saishi no Tama." She lifted her hand and touched said jewel that laid beneath her haori.

"If you die then doesn't that mean the same thing?" She questioned.

"With your soul here, no. You would be the successor to the keeper of the jewel."

That only made Yuuki nervous. "I can't do that."

"I agree."

Yuuki deflated and looked to the floor. She didn't have control of her spirit this time, she was too weak. "I don't know anything about the Dai Saishi no Tama. I know a bit about the Shikon no Tama, though. Are they similar?"

"In a way," Kinya nodded. Looking away towards the sliding door she explained, "The Shikon no Tama contains immense power. Within the jewel is an everlasting battle between Midoriko, a warrior priestess from long ago, and an army of demons she fell with. Midoriko contained the four souls within her: Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama, and Sakimitama. With this balance her soul within the jewel can be used for either good or evil. Many feats can be accomplished with the jewel depending on the users wish." Looking back to Yuuki she said, "The Dai Saishi no Tama is a cursed jewel, bound to those who possess the soul of the High Priestess Manami. This jewel contains the essence of Manami, and if it fell into the hands of evil, such as Naraku, they would control the will of Manami as well gain her power and knowledge."

"A cursed jewel...?" Yuuki was trying to process the information. She didn't know either of the priestess' she mentioned. "So that's the catch when having the jewel, that they're cursed? What's the curse?"

Kinya smiled sadly to herself. "You cannot fall in love, or you will perish."

Yuuki stared at her. "You can't... What do you mean?"

"Midoriko possessed a balance within her soul, however Manami did not. Both priestess were powerful in different periods of time. However while Midoriko's downfall was in battle, Manami's was from her heart." She eyed Yuuki. "Manami fell in love, however that love was betrayed. Her heart and soul were both drowned with sorrow and that caused the end of her life. You and I possess the same soul as her; her reincarnations. With this jewel our duty is sworn to the jewel and our priestesshood. If we divert from that path following our hearts then that will be the end of our lives."

Yuuki stared at her with an expression akin to fear. "If we fall in love we _die_...?" She couldn't have the jewel. Not now. Staring at the floor she couldn't help but think of Inuyasha. _If Kinya dies and I get the jewel before I'm home... I could die by a curse._

Kinya watched her spirit carefully. "Have you already fallen in love?"

"I-I don't know," she replied quietly. "It's complicated."

"Hm. If it's complicated then it's not love."

Yuuki lifted her head to see Kinya staring at the door again. "What about you? Are you saying that your sick like this because of the jewel, too?"

She didn't look back at her, quiet for a moment. "It's difficult. To deny your heart for so long." She then smiled back at her. "I'm merely a woman under these robes. It's tragic. Love cannot be denied."

"So, what, Manami's soul is forever cursed to die prematurely?" Yuuki questioned, beginning to panic. "Has anyone been able to live a full life!?"

"I'm afraid I have not read nor heard of a recording as such." There was an emptiness to her that made Yuuki only more worried for herself. "I will hold out for as long as I can while you figure out your way home. We can't afford to continue disrupting the current of time."

"Even if I get back home, I'll eventually come across the jewel, won't I?" Kinya nodded. "I don't... I don't want that!"

Her silver eyes narrowed. "Hm... I had sensed that you were far more detached from your heart before."

"I've never cared about love before, but that doesn't mean I want to die over it! I..." She thought back to how protective Inuyasha was of Kagome, even if it pained her. She thought about how Miroku and Sango act towards each other, that bond and connection they held. _I want that... I want someone to care for my well being, to protect me, to look at me!_ "I don't want the jewel!"

"You say that as if you have a choice." Kinya looked back towards the door again. "You were born with Manami's soul. You will be burdened like the rest of your predecessors. You're still young, I suggest closing your heart while you can if your will to live is so strong."

Yuuki finally snapped from her frustrations and shouted, "Why do you keep looking at the door!?"

"You've been here for too long," she replied, and she slowly started to get up. "Naraku is trying to find you with his Shikon shards."

"W-what?" Looking around, she tried to sense whatever Kinya was sensing, but to no avail. Looking up again, she went wide eyed as a mass of miasma suddenly appeared in the room. Kinya look out a talisman and chanted into it, creating a barrier around herself that deflected the tendrils of fog that went at her.

"Leave!" She commanded.

Yuuki was at a loss. "I can't! I don't have control!"

The tendrils weaved around Kinya and went for her. She panicked and tossed her arms up, but she had no spiritual abilities in her ghost state. Kinya spun around in alarm, "No!" throwing the talisman at her, the slip of paper disrupted most of the purple fog, however one slipped through and caught Yuuki in the gut, sending her flying out of the open balcony.

* * *

Yuuki whimpered and Sesshomaru opened his eyes.

 _So, she's finally returned._ He watched her face as it scrunched up while she stirred. Her soul had been gone for several hours, Rin and Jaken were long asleep and the moon was high. She moaned, and then rolled over to vomit blood. The scent assaulted Sesshomaru's nose and his eyes widened slightly. Yuuki struggled to push herself up, "Water... wa-" more blood spewed onto the dirt.

 _My insides... they're burning..._ Yuuki couldn't see straight. Blood filled her mouth and her body was sweating yet cold. _Am I dying...?_ Suddenly she was lifted and she somewhat came to her senses. "Sesshomaru..." He had scooped her up with his arm and mokomoko supporting her. He took to the air briefly, flying her down to the river that cut through the valley. Once he landed on the bank, he set her down to the water's edge. Hearing the water, Yuuki frantically dragged herself across the mud to shove her face in. She took large gulps in with hopes of putting out the flames in her gut. Eventually she had to pull herself out and breathe. She had enough strength to push herself upright, sitting back on her legs. "Thank you... thank you..."

Sesshomaru stood to the side, watching her gasp for air with a hanging head. _By the looks of her, I'd say she doesn't have long to live._ "Your soul was missing for several hours. It's the dead of night."

Her eyes snapped to his in shock. "Wh-what!?" Looking to the sky, she fully realized the time. "So long..." It was longer this time, she realized. Her body wasn't able to take anymore. She was only with Kinya for a few moments it felt like. After Naraku's attack... _I'm too weak to recover now..._

Sesshomaru watched curiously as she smiled. With a chuckle she lowered her head again. "It's pointless. It's pointless for me..." Her struggle to return home, Utsugi and Naraku, her fate as the Dai Saishin no Tama possessor... None of it mattered because she would die soon anyways, her insides were still burning and twisting, as if they were melting.

"You sound as if you've given up."

Yuuki lifted her head to see him staring down at her with golden eyes that seemed to illuminate in the moonlight. "Sesshomaru... Intentional or not you saved my life. Either way it was a waste of your time." Her throat closed up. To her surprise she found herself choking back a sob. Lowering her head again she watched as droplets fell from her face. Everything felt suddenly hopeless. It all felt hopeless and it made her angry, but she had no energy to fuel it. She could only fist the ground beneath her and tremble as she cried.

She managed whisper out, "Please, go back to Rin and Jaken. I'll be fine on my own."

Sesshomaru watched her closely. She looked to be a beaten, defeated, weak human. He didn't like it. Her scent was tarnished with the blood she spat out and her image was crumbling. He had seen her as a woman of determination to take what she wanted by any means necessary. Rarely was there a human capable of strength.

"Look at me, woman." She didn't at first. He stared her down regardless and willed her to. Eventually she lifted her head and he was able to see her dull eyes. "If it's your wish to die, then I shall leave you be. However, if you intend to keep the deal you made with me, then I will help you."

Life sparked in her eyes. "My deal...?" She was astounded. _He'll help me?_ Looking at him, he was cold and dangerous. Anyone could sense his power and as he stood tall over her she truly felt small and weak. A human that could die easily. _Is he not as bad as Kagome said? Or is Rin simply clouded with childish naivety?_

"Well? Do you wish to die here alone?"

 _If I had his help... If he's willing to help me..._ Tears welled in her eyes again. She had some hope. She shook her head, "No, I... I don't want to die. Not like this."

"Very well."

Sesshomaru approached her and again picked her up in his arm. It was so effortless for him, her body felt like lead. She would've liked to help him, but she had no strength. Sesshomaru took to the air again and she watched as the ground became further away. She stared on sadly. _For someone who's rumored to hate humans, he's been helping me a lot. If it weren't for the deal I made with him, he probably would have left me by the river._ She was worried she was overstaying her welcome with him. _He may not help me again if I need it. I wouldn't blame him._ Her eyesight was becoming hazy and she rolled her head to the side, nuzzling her face into his mokomoko. _It's so soft... Wonder if it's his tail..._

Sesshomaru looked down at her face and tightened his grip. "Stay awake. Fall asleep and you risk your soul leaving again." Hearing his words she made an effort to open her eyes. _This is the first time a boy's held me like this..._ She hadn't the energy to blush or think anything of it. _I might become delusional in a moment..._

Her eyes were slowly closing again. Sesshomaru dug his claws into her arm just enough to spark her awake again. "Thank you."

"We're here." Yuuki looked over and noticed a light in the mountainside. Sesshomaru flew to the lit cave and landed on the steep cliff in front of the entrance. He looked down at her, "Can you stand?" She nodded and he set her on her feet, however her knees buckled and she held on to his kimono.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the great dog demon Lord Sesshomaru back with another human girl." Yuuki looked up and was surprised as a small old woman came walking out of the cave, dressed in fiber clothes and grass. _She looks older than Kaede, and she looks human!_

"S-Sorry for the intrusion..." She looked between the woman and Sesshomaru. He didn't seem bothered by her tone. Was he used to it? "I'm Fujiwara Yuuki. And you...?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you? Hrumph." Her nostrils flared, obviously unhappy. It _was_ the middle of the night. "You may call me Baba-sama. Priestess retired. Full time hermit." She came closer and inspected Yuuki up and down, coming up to about her waist. "Now, what's wrong with this one? Looks like a foot in the grave."

Yuuki blinked down at her. So blunt. She looked up at Sesshomaru even more surprised when he responded, "She came to me weary. Her soul slipped into astral projection of its free will, and when she came to she made sick with blood."

"Yes, I see." Baba sniffed at her. She then faced her small, wrinkly palm at her and closed her eyes, feeling her energy. "Accidental astral projection is quite dangerous. Yes, you are disconnected from your spirit. What's this?" Looking up at her she frowned. "Your spirit has been marked with a wicked energy. The poison is already spreading through your body and soul. Come," Baba led the way into her hermit hole. "Lay her over here, demon."

Sesshomaru easily hefted Yuuki up and laid her closer to the fire on a bed of moss and leaves. He backed well enough away to the cave entrance, yet watched from the corner of his eye as Baba worked a mortar and pestle, grinding down various herbs she had strung up to dry around the cave. Yuuki took the time to try and take in her surroundings. Turning to head to look at Baba she asked, "Excuse me... Baba-sama?"

She grunted. "Weak girls shouldn't talk. Save your strength."

"I'm sorry, I'm just confused about something." Baba glanced at her. "You said you were a priestess... you're human, am I correct?"

Baba had stopped her work to glare at her. "You saying I look like a demon, girl? I can kill you just as well as save you, you know. I grow nightshade here."

Yuuki wasn't bothered by her impulsive threat. Traveling with Inuyasha she was used to it. "I was wondering how you knew Sesshomaru then. I've heard he isn't very fond of humans?"

"Wha?" She acted as if she said something strange. Looking back at Sesshomaru, he avoided her beady black eyes gaze to stare out at the night. _What's become of this demon as of late?_ "You telling me you don't know about him? And he hasn't spoken of me!?" Yuuki shook her head. "Feh! Figures, mangy mongrel!" Focusing back on the task of blending herbs, she began her tale. "I first met Sesshomaru when I was in the prime of my youth. I was strong, beautiful, powerful, tall as well!"

 _Baba stood in the middle of a battle field. The trees were cut down, the vegetation burned away by fire. Carrying on the wind was smoke and the smell of burning, rotting flesh. She stared out at the hills littered with bodies. The aftermath of another skirmish._

"I was a priestess, a neutral party in war. I had a charge of shrine maidens that followed me, and we healed the injured and sick on both sides of a battle. Our duty was to save as many lives as we could, otherwise we would bless the dead and pray that they found peace in the afterlife."

 _"Lady Baba!" She looked over as two women of her charged carried a limp and wounded man. "This one is still breathing."_

 _"His colors are of Hoshin's army. Take him there, I shall tend to the other side and lend aid to their men."_

 _"Yes, Lady Baba." As the ladies hurried off Baba walked across the path of corpses to the defending castle._

"I had sent my maidens to the base of the attacking army. They were on lower ground. I alone went to the castle above, knowing they had fewer to tend to. I would have never imagined that a demon lord would come passing through and slaughter everyone there."

 _That very night Baba stood on the castle wall, watching with horror as an enormous dog demon appeared on the battlefield. Acid rained from its mouth, its massive paws sweeping scores of humans away as if they were mere ants. She trembled, watching as both armies came together to fight the great foe. The weight of death was heavy in the air. Baba fled from the castle before she was crushed along with it._

"I was the only survivor." Baba stopped her crafting to stare with a sad expression. "I hung up my haori the next day. After witnessing such strength I knew all efforts to quell evil spirits were futile." She then glared back at Sesshomaru with a hateful look. "After I aged and shrunk in size I came across this demon again and tried to kill him on impulse. He had a human girl with him at the time and he merely bat me aside as if I were a pesky bug. He threw my back out the vile creature."

"I see."

"Oh you _see_!?" She yelled and spit flew at Yuuki, making her blink. "You know nothing of the demon that brought you here and after a story like that all you say is that you _see_!?"

Yuuki thought it over. "I supposed I should ask... if that was your encounter with him, then why are you helping him heal me?"

Baba spat on the ground. "I'm not helping that three legged mutt. I'm helping you, a young human girl in need."

She smiled at her response. "You must really hate him, don't you. Didn't you mention I was another human girl he brought? Did he bring the young girl Rin as well?"

"Yes, he did. Poor girl had a fever, she had to stay with me for a day." Despite the sympathetic moment, she glared at Sesshomaru again over her shoulder. "I'm surprised he hasn't eaten her by now."

Yuuki laughed, as much as she could anyways. Sesshomaru glanced back at her to see her smiling at Baba. "If Sesshomaru was going to eat anything I'm fairly certain it wouldn't be human of all things. It would be like eating bugs or vermin wouldn't it?"

Baba stopped her work again to look over the girl curiously. "What spell has that demon put over you. You seem to neither fear nor despise him even though he is a demon lord. Just because he has brought you and one other to me for healing does not wash away the blood of thousands he's slain. Are you not a priestess?"

"Yes, you could say I am. However I don't think demons are that much different from humans to be honest." She turned her head to stare at the cave ceiling. "Humans are just as guilty of demonic impurities as full blooded demons are. These warring times are a perfect example. Stealing from one another, murdering each other, raping and some are even cannibals. You could argue that not all humans are evil, but in my experience the same can be said for demons." Taking a breath she closed her eyes, feeling tired. Her voice became weak, "I'm sure if humans could trade their souls to have the power that Sesshomaru has then they would do it in a heartbeat. Those warlords would destroy scores of humans just as Sesshomaru did. I don't think killing for no reason is any worse than killing for a reason. Taking a life is taking a life..."

Baba watched as she went silent. "That is a pessimistic view on life for a priestess, girl."

"I consider myself a realist... Nn," she groaned scrunched her face, her body squirming in pain.

Baba was quick to gather the powders in her hand. "What did I say, weak girls shouldn't speak. Talking as much as you did used up too much energy." She tossed some powers at Yuuki, and when they touched her skin they sizzled.

"Ah!" She flinched away and managed to glare at her. "Did you throw the fire's embers at me?"

"Stupid girl. The evil taking over your body is reacting to the powder." Grabbing a sprig with a talisman tied to it, she stood over Yuuki and waved it around, chanting a spell. Yuuki gnashed her teeth and struggled, sweating as the words filled her ears. Sesshomaru watched from a distance as she squirmed, Baba dashing the powder over her body, waving a branch around.

He soon realized a dark light was coming from her stomach. The louder Baba's chant the more the dark light was reluctantly drawn out. With a final shout, Yuuki cried out as the dark force was pushed out. Sesshomaru's eyes widened, the scent of Naraku assaulted his nose and all at once vanished with the black light after Baba purified it. _So this_ was _Naraku's doing. He attacked her soul while it was missing. Where did she go?_

"Stay awake, girl, we're not finished yet." Yuuki's breathing was labored while Baba scurried about, creating another concoction. She was even more pale than before. "You hear me, girl?" Baba grabbed the sprig and whacked her on the arm. She groaned in response. After creating a green liquid, she shuffled over and lifted Yuuki's head. "Drink this, it's not very tasty, but it will revitalize you." Yuuki didn't respond at first, but Baba whacked her again and she stirred. With Baba's help she was able to drink up the bowl. Baba set the bowl aside and rubbed her throat to help with swallowing. "There."

Sesshomaru turned to them, watching as Yuuki's breathing slowed, her face relaxing. As Baba scurried about to clean up he asked, "Are you finished?"

"That's as much as I can do for her," she replied. Looking over the girl she said, "I've set a spell to help her soul stay in her body. It's not permanent however. She can only mend that herself through meditation. The evil has been banished and her body will recover after a good night's rest." She glared at him, "Don't eat her."

"Foolish hag." Sesshomaru went to Yuuki and picked her up. She appeared sleeping already.

Baba frowned, watching suspiciously as he looked Yuuki over. "Don't ruin her either. I know demons get a kick out of tarnishing young shrine maiden's purities. Vile creatures."

Sesshomaru looked back at her. "If you weren't so useful I would have killed you for your impudence."

"I'll take that as a _thank you_ , you three legged mongrel."

Sesshomaru left her to clean and flew out of the cave, making his way to the valley again. Looking down at Yuuki's face, he was surprised to see her yes opening. "The witch said you only need rest."

"Heh, 'witch'..." she smiled, closing her eyes again and nuzzling her face into his pelt. "Tell me, Sesshomaru... Do you truly despise humans?"

He didn't answer right away. He looked at her face and then ahead thinking of Rin. Did he still despise humans...? _Yes._ There are only few exceptions that he would not admit. "Humans are nothing more than insects that serve no purpose. They are weak and ugly creatures with short insignificant lives. Truly pointless."

"I see..." He glanced down at her again, and was surprised to see her still smiling. "I'm glad then... that you believe me to be useful... thank you..."

 _She's thanking me?_ Her face went slack. She was finally sleeping. Reaching the campsite again, he walked over to the tree. He stood there for a moment. She was happy with only the thought that he believed her to be useful. She even thanked him for it. _An odd one to be sure._

Sitting beneath the tree, he continued to hold her. Her hand wouldn't release from his mokomoko anyways. Looking up at the sky, the moon was still in view. He could afford to spare her a few hours of resting like this. If she was to be useful to him, she would need her strength.


	10. So Close Yet So Far

Crackling of the fire and the smell of cooking meat caused Yuuki to stir. As she woke up, she realized she was alone with Ah-Un at the campsite, propped up against the tree. She yawned and stretched, and then blinked, seeing a chunk of meat cooking on a stick. "I hope that's for me, cause it's going to be." As she crawled over and inspected it, she realized she was wide awake. _I feel completely rejuvenated._ Sitting back on her heels she looked at her hands, flexing and testing the strength of her grip. "Baba-sama did wonders for me." She then looked around, "Wonder where everyone went..."

Waiting for her food, she tried to recall yesterday. _To think I came so close to giving up... No, I_ did _give up._ She sighed. _It was thanks to Sesshomaru and that old woman Baba-sama that I'm better now. I feel at full strength finally._ The old woman was grouchy to be sure, but she was kind. She was surprised at how kind Sesshomaru was as well.

 _"Humans are nothing more than insects that serve no purpose. They are weak and ugly creatures with short insignificant lives. Truly pointless."_

She stared at the fire. "He must think I'm useful." Otherwise he wouldn't care whether she lived or died. She remembered his words, but she also remembered how he carried her when he said them. He had carried her a lot. A blush dusted her cheeks. _No one's held me like that before..._

"You're awake!"

Yuuki bristled furiously, nearly jumping out of her skin. She looked over and relaxed, seeing Rin and Jaken approach. "Oh, you two. Good morning."

Rin smiled, elated that she was finally awake. "Are you feeling better?"

Yuuki nodded as Jaken approached the fire. "Yes much better." She then realized he was inspecting the meat and she quickly snagged it.

"Hey!" He began to throw a tantrum. "You didn't even get that game! And you missed breakfast anyways!"

She eyed him. "Haven't you a heart, Jaken? I'm recovering still."

"You said you feel fine!" He shouted, pointing accusingly. She took a bite and he cried.

"Yuuki," as she chewed she looked over at Rin. "After you've eaten, do you want to come with me across the river? Lord Sesshomaru said I can't go too far without someone with me, and Master Jaken has become noisy."

She looked at Jaken innocently as he went into another tantrum. "Me noisy!? You're the noisy one, girl!"

"Yes that's fine," Yuuki replied.

"Don't ignore me!"

While Yuuki continued to eat she asked, "Where did Sesshomaru go?"

" _Lord_ Sesshomaru caught the scent of Naraku again," Jaken replied and she nearly choked. "He went to search the valley again to track him down."

"I see..." She tried to focus on her food. _I nearly forgot that Kagura would come back for Utsugi. If I'm lucky Sesshomaru will chase her off._ After finishing she tossed the stick in the fire and stood. "All right, let's go, Rin."

"Yay!" Jaken made himself comfortable at the campsite while Rin ran off with Yuuki following.

There was a wooden bridge to cross the river and they made their way closer to the mountains. Rin was having a blast with her newfound talent of cart wheeling, happy that Yuuki was simply nearby. She smiled as she watched the girl, and then looked around the valley. _We're traveling far from the campsite._ "Yuuki, look!" Rin was pointing up at the mountain and she followed her gaze. "I see smoke!"

Yuuki narrowed her eyes, there were a couple small streams of smoke coming from the mountain's edge. It was coming from a clearing in the trees. "Yes, it might be a mountain village."

"A village?" Rin looked back at her curiously. "Are you going to go to them?"

She pondered it for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure where we are, however I believe that village is in the opposite direction I want to go." She smiled at Rin and added, "I'll pay them a visit eventually, but I'm content with where I'm at now."

"Oh, good," she smiled gain with relief. "I didn't want you to go yet. Lord Sesshomaru is always gone and Master Jaken can be boring sometimes. And Ah-Un doesn't talk much."

As Rin ran off again, Yuuki frowned after her. _She's such a sweet girl, it's a shame how lonely she is. But still,_ looking back towards the campsite she vaguely wondered where Sesshomaru was. _I can't afford to overstay my welcome..._ "Huh?" A small dark figure in the sky caught her attention. It came closer and her eyes widened in horror. "No... Rin!"

"Uh?" Rin stumbled to a stop and looked back at Yuuki. She instantly knew something was wrong and became worried. "Yuuki?" She ran back to her as Yuuki glared at the sky, seeing Kagura rapidly approaching. _Where was Sesshomaru? Wouldn't he chase her off?_

"Good job, Utsugi!" She called.

Yuuki couldn't conceal her struggling expression. She had Rin, she still thought she was Utsugi, and Sesshomaru was nowhere to be seen. _What can I do!?_ Rin gasped and gripped onto her hakama, and she glanced down at her. _No matter what I cannot let Naraku get Rin. Any cooperation with Sesshomaru would be out the window, and if he gets the wrong impression..._

She looked back to Kagura as she landed, her feather returning to her hand. Tapping her fan on her shoulder she had a victorious smile. "That stupid dog. Faithfully following his nose around in circles. Manipulating the wind with my scent is far too easy of a trick." Looking to Yuuki she said, "I'm impressed you've been able to slip by Sesshomaru. Come, Utsugi, let's take the girl back to Naraku."

Rin looked up at Yuuki worried. "Yuuki...? Why is she calling you Utsugi...?"

She didn't respond as she stared onto Kagura tensely. A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. Kagura's smile dropped as she narrowed her eyes. "No..." She then suddenly realized and Yuuki moved herself in front of Rin. Kagura threw her head back and laughed, "How rich! Who would have thought you had us all fooled!" Yuuki knew why she was laughing instead of angered. Kagura grinned at her, "I have a far better present for Naraku now."

"Just leave Rin and I'll come with you quietly." Rin became apprehensive as Kagura smirked.

"You think you're strong enough to overpower me? I could easily take you both."

"Waste time fighting me and Sesshomaru will find you, then you'll have neither of us."

"Wouldn't that work in your favor then?" She questioned, hiding coyly behind her fan again. "Why don't you wait for the dog? Are you afraid he'll get the wrong impression? Naraku already knows you're trying to elicit his help."

"Just promise me you'll leave Rin alone," Yuuki said forcefully. "Do you want to return to Naraku empty handed?"

"Very well, if you're so eager to die, who am I to deny you?" Kagura waved her fan and the wind picked up.

Yuuki shoved Rin back and she stumbled. "Yuuki!"

"Go back to Jaken," she ordered, and then the wind picked her up. Swirling around her it created a spherical prison, taking her into the air.

"Yuuki!" Rin cried.

Kagura chuckled as she summoned her feather, taking to the air with her prisoner. They soared to the sky and hid in the clouds, wasting no time to return to Naraku's castle. Yuuki was capable of breathing this time thanks to the air barrier. She could think clearly, and she pondered what to do next. Bargaining with Naraku? Fight her way out once they neared the ground? _This will be my only chance to speak to Kagura frankly._

"Kagura, listen to me." Though disinterested, she glanced over her shoulder. "My offer still stands to team up against Naraku."

She frowned and turned back around. "I thought you said you'd come quietly."

"I'm serious," she insisted. "Remember our conversation, Kagura. Trust me when I say I'm willing to do anything to get back home. I don't know what Utsugi and Naraku have planned for me, but I have no intention of finding out."

"It's too late for you, don't you think?" She questioned. "I have you as my prisoner. I'm taking you to Naraku as we speak. You have no way out and you can't overpower him."

"I know I can't, not alone." She waited, but Kagura ignored her. However, Yuuki felt that she was getting somewhere. _I just need to plant the seeds in her head._ "I'm not asking you to fight back now, I'm not stupid. I just need an opportunity. I just need a single moment to turn this around, to get away and back to Inuyasha and the others. I know with their help we can beat Naraku."

"Be quiet," she snapped, glaring over her shoulder. "Quit talking nonsense or I'll suck the air out of your lungs."

Yuuki sighed as she fell silent. _Well this is about as much as I can do..._ Nervousness started to settle in as she sensed that they were reaching their destination. _Damn, I need to figure a way out myself in the meantime._

She didn't get that chance however.

Her face fell to fear as they passed through the barrier, and waiting for them in the courtyard were Utsugi and Naraku. Flanking Naraku was Kohaku and a young pale girl in a white kimono, someone Yuuki didn't recognize. "Welcome back, Kagura," Naraku said as they neared the ground.

"Naraku," Kagura jumped from her feather and returned it to her hair. She then looked to Yuuki and the prison dropped, but the wind pushed her to the ground. "So, Utsugi, you took your time returning to us."

Utsugi didn't bother to respond as she stared at Yuuki, watching her pick herself up from the ground. "When you wear that, you really look like me," she said stoically. "But there's no value in our faces looking the same."

Getting to her feet, Yuuki gnashed her teeth as she glared her down. _She smells of burnt clay and Kagura called her a doll, and she looked exactly like me._ She looked to Naraku, "Naraku! Please hear me out, we can strike a deal. I can give you all the power I have- I can tell you all that I know about the Dai Saishi no Tama!"

Naraku's eyes widened ever so slightly. She thought she had him for a moment, but he then chuckled, and that grew into a laughter. "She drives a hard bargain, Utsugi."

She glanced at him and glared- the only emotion Yuuki saw in her. "Perhaps it would be more enticing if she had the blue pearl." Looking back at Yuuki she said, "Come, girl. Let me test your power."

" _Spirit's Rage!_ " Kagura was caught off guard and quickly backed away as the invisible tendrils exploded from her. The sorceress jumped away, _she wasted no time. Will she be able to beat Utsugi?_ Glaring her down, Yuuki put her hands together and the tendrils surged forward, destroying the barrier around Utsugi.

Utsugi didn't even flinch. She did however sprint forward. Yuuki was shocked at her speed and looking like she was gliding over the ground. Aiming her fine nails Utsugi jabbed forward and Yuuki felt cuts across her face and neck. She was stunned, _I can't follow her movements!_ Yuuki reached forward, " _Purify!_ "

The purifying blast exploded with light, but as it faded she lost sight of Utsugi. Panicked she looked around, but Utsugi was already behind her. She reached out towards the girl, " _Light of Judgment._ "

Yuuki's world was enveloped with white and she screamed. The pain seared through her body like hellfire, her clothes became frayed and blood flew as gashes burst around her body. _This is the difference... in our power..._ Her scream amplified with the power, then it disappeared all at once. Kagura stood away from the fight and away from Naraku, watching as the dome of pure spiritual energy faded away. Yuuki stood looking in a daze, her eyes glazed over. She fell to her knees, but her hands stopped her from collapsing completely. She choked and coughed up blood that splattered on her hands. _I should've figured,_ Kagura thought. _She can't do anything on her own. She's too weak._

Utsugi walked around Yuuki and stared down at her. "Such beautiful blood," she murmured. Yuuki didn't have the strength to lift her head. " _My_ blood..."

 _Her... blood...?_ Yuuki's eyes slowly closed, and then she collapsed.

Kagura walked forward, "I'll put her in a cell."

Utsugi whipped her head around and glared menacingly. "Mine."

She stopped short, feeling a slight tinge of fear, and glared in return out of frustration. "Why you..." _That insolent witch._

Raising her hand over Yuuki's body Utsugi summoned her spiritual force to lift her limp body from the ground. As she passed Naraku with Yuuki floating behind her, he glanced at her with a smirk. "Seems you've proven yourself, Utsugi."

She didn't glance back. "I _will_ have my body back."

Taking Yuuki to the basement she was tossed into a jail cell, guarded by one of the undead. Kagura was walking the hall when Utsugi came back from the basement, passing by her. Kagura stopped and glanced back. She then went wide eyed as she witnessed Utsugi reach into her sleeve and discard a green rosary and a wooden talisman. _Those weapons are Yuuki's._ Tossing them into a random room Utsugi carried on and disappeared down another hall. Kagura frowned after her, _she must be preparing the ceremony..._ She looked back to the stairs that led to the basement.

 _"I'm not asking you to fight back now, I'm not stupid. I just need an opportunity. I just need a single moment to turn this around, to get away and back to Inuyasha and the others. I know with their help we can beat Naraku."_

 _She held such determination in her eyes... I could have my freedom..._ She looked back down the hall.

* * *

"Pathetic little- I said wake up!"

The sensation of falling woke Yuuki in an instant. Snapping her eyes open she saw Kagura on the other side of cell bars. Once she realized she was being blown back she slammed into the stone wall and fell to her butt. Wincing in pain she glared at her, "What the hell is- gah," wincing again she held her side. _Utsugi could have killed me easily...That last attack she did is too strong._ Something fell in front of her and she looked up. "Huh?"

She blinked at her weapons, and then looked up to see Kagura toss her uniform as well, only it looked new and clean. When she looked up at her questioningly, Kagura looked away and said, "I found them in Utsugi's room. Hurry up and change before she comes back for you."

While she was surprised, she didn't waste time in stripping the bulky hakama. "Change of heart?"

"Don't get this wrong; I'm not committing," she quickly corrected. "However if you happened to have an opportunity and took Naraku down, you'd best remember this."

"Don't worry, Kagura," fastening her uniform on she snagged up her weapons. "We'll destroy Naraku and set you free. And I'll get back home."

Kagura glared at her, "You better." She backed away and with a wave of her fan an undead soldier shuffled forward and unlocked the cell door. "On the east side of the courtyard is a crystal that's creating the barrier around the castle. Destroy that and the barrier will fall and Naraku's aura will be unleashed. Don't screw this up and make it backfire on me." Snapping her fan shut the guard exploded, causing Yuuki to flinch from the blood as it sprayed on her.

"Thank you, Kagura," stepping out the cell she smiled at her. "I won't forget this." She then ran ahead, leaving Kagura with a ball of anxiety in her gut.

She closed her eyes and waved her fan, " _Dance of the Dead._ "

As Yuuki sprinted through the caste for the east side of the courtyard, she came across Kagura's undead guards and found them useful in guiding her out. Reaching the porch, she stopped and huffed as she stared out at the grey sand garden. There were decorative stones in the waving sand and among them was a silver crystal that glittered with energy. _That's the crystal. Once I take down the barrier both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru should be able to locate Naraku. However Naraku will also know what I'm up to._ She jumped over the railing and ran over to the crystal, facing off with it. _I used Spirit's Rage once already and I'm not tired yet, however it'll take more out of me to destroy this crystal._

Folding her hands together, she closed her eyes and summoned her Seishin, her body becoming surrounded in a holy light. The air shifted around her, blowing her hair and clothes. Shutting her eyes tight she threw her head back and shouted, " _Spirit's Rage!_ " Tendrils exploded from her once again and in a fury bombarded the crystal, once after another slamming into it and ringing the stone, creating fractures. The blasts from impact sent gusts of wind at her, but she held fast. _It's not enough!_ Summoning her strength, she reached for the sky and the tendrils formed together into a single giant one. With a shout she swung her arms down and the force came crashing down.

Sand and shards of the crystal exploded and the force knocked Yuuki off her own feet, sending her tumbling in the sand. Groaning, feeling herself considerably weaker, she lifted her head and witnessed the barrier falling away, the sensation of Naraku's demonic energy escaping out. Panting she said to herself, "Now I just... need someone to show up..." With some effort she pushed herself up off the ground. "Preferably in time..."

"So, you managed to destroy the crystal." She gasped and whipped around, seeing Naraku smiling down at her from the porch. The smile sent shivers down her spine.

"Naraku," she glanced over to see Kagura emerge from behind him, and he looked to her as well. "Kanna's mirror showed both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru on their way to the castle."

"Very well, go and show Inuyasha a warm welcome. I'll handle Sesshomaru."

"Hmph." Without another word or a glance to Yuuki, she summoned her giant feather and flew off in a gust of wind away from the castle grounds.

Naraku turned his attention to Yuuki again and she stiffened. "Now what shall I do with you while I wait for Sesshomaru? Utsugi is almost finished with her ceremony, shall I take you to her?" Grabbing her rosary she took a step back. He chuckled in amusement, staring her down from his nose. "No, you're much too feisty for the ritual. Your soul would put up too much resistance, even if your physical body is weak."

A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. _I suddenly feel like prey_. Naraku jumped down to meet her in the sands and she quickly backed up again, needing distance. Before his first move she folded her hands again, " _Spirit's Rage!_ " Her tendrils showed the barrier protecting him and shattered it. She was breathing hard now, perspiration forming on her forehead. _No good, I can't use that move again. I'll be lucky if I make it out of here in decent condition._

"Look how weary you are," he said, looking down on her. "Lucky for you you're needed alive, girl."

"I have no choice." Taking off her rosary she braced herself. "I might not be able to defeat you, but all I need to do is buy time."

"We'll see how well that works out for you." Reaching out, his arms morphed into twisted fleshy vines that flew at her.

Yuuki jumped away as fast as they approached, swinging her rosary and slicing through the flesh. They reformed as quickly as they were cut down and she reached out with her palm, " _Purify!_ " Though the blast burned them away, Naraku's lower body exploded into more fleshy tendrils that race towards her. Yuuki tossed her rosary in the air and clapped her hands, " _Bullet Storm!_ " Her Seishin shone around her body as she amplified her power and the beads rained down, exploding with holy energy. They took large chunks out of Naraku's flesh, however miasma burst from his wounds and she panicked.

Jumping away she quickly covered her face with her sleeve. _Poisonous gas!? I thought he needed me alive!_ Hearing Naraku's chuckle she reached out and summoned her rosary to her again, however his green appendages shot out of the miasma just as fast and latched on her to arm. She cried out in panic and used her Purify to blast them away. More surged forward and overwhelmed her, grabbing onto her limbs and lifting her into the air, her rosary falling to the ground useless.

Naraku chuckled amused as he held her over his head and while she glared in hate, she blushed as she felt herself exposed to him. "Release me!"

"Someone in your position shouldn't be so demanding." Another tendril slithered up and wrapped around her throat. The other appendages fell away and she was left hanging, clawing and scraping the flesh with her nails to no avail. _I can't breathe!_ "Look how you squirm," Naraku smiled with a sadistic nature as she kicked and struggled. "You can't even put up a fight." He lowered her to his eye level, "Let me get a good look at your struggling face. Your wounds from Utsugi haven't healed, yet you fruitlessly resist. It entices me."

Yuuki forced her eyes open enough to glare at him. "You... disgusting bastard... Ga-" he tightened around her throat. Her voice was nothing more than an airy squeak.

Naraku's smile grew as he watched her face contort in pain, feeling her pulse beneath his flesh. "Your spirit still isn't broken. Wonderful, I was hoping to have more fun with you." _He's a sadist,_ she realized with horror. Her heart dropped when he pulled her closer, pressing his mouth to her ear. "I'll make you wish you were dead."

 _Inuyasha._ She could clearly hear his voice, imagine him rushing in to save her with his Tessaiga. _"You idiot, what do you think you're doing facing Naraku alone!?"_

 _Lousy dog... where are you?_

She was suddenly released she opened her eyes, taking a gasp of air. She found herself flying up in the air and Naraku's tendrils flying past her. As soon as she took her breath it was forced out of her again as the flesh slammed into her gut and sent her shooting back down into the sand. It was kicked up by the force of impact, but Naraku continued and tangled her arm, flinging her around and slamming her into the ground again and again, threatening to tear her arm off. His chuckle turned into a malicious laugh of delight as he tossed her in the air again, slamming into her back and sending her flying across the courtyard.

Naraku's entertainment was short lived however. His grin died down as a blur of white dashed in and caught her body before it landed. "You arrived more quickly than I thought you would."

Sesshomaru landed on his knee, looking down at Yuuki. Blood strained from her mouth and she was covered in blood from abused wounds, her clothing stained dark. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw white. _Inuyasha...?_ Her eyes widened and she was surprised, "Sesshomaru..." She couldn't help her smile, "I've never been so glad to see someone..." She coughed, spitting up blood again. "I don't think anything's broken..."

"Can you stand?" She nodded and he helped her to her feet. He allowed her to hang onto his sleeve for support as he looked to Naraku. "Rin informed me that you tried to have Kagura kidnap her. In an attempt to lure me here peacefully I imagine."

Naraku smiled. "If I sent you a formal invitation I doubt you would have come. At least without trying to kill me."

Yuuki's eyes widened with realization. _Wait, Kargua said Naraku knew I was asking Sesshomaru for help._ "What do you want Sesshomaru for?" She demanded.

"I had my own proposal for him," he replied, looking to Sesshomaru. "If he agreed to assist me in killing Inuyasha and capturing you, I would give him power in exchange."

Yuuki seethed, eyes wild with rage as her grip on Sesshomaru's sleeve tightening. It would be a lie if she said that she wasn't worried. A deal of power with Sesshomaru? She knew that his allegiance was to himself, and killing his brother might even sound fun to him. _If Sesshomaru turns on me then I'm done for!_ "You have to be joking! You really think Sesshomaru would agree to that!?" She sounded so enraged that Sesshomaru glanced down at her, seeing her fury for himself. She was desperate to convince Sesshomaru not to work with him. "All you have to offer is Shikon shards and those are _worthless_ to him with his strength! He can kill anyone he wants _including_ you!"

"Oh?" His smile turned sly. "You seem to have much faith in Sesshomaru."

 _I simply want him on_ my _side._ Sesshomaru watched Yuuki's face as she glared Naraku down. "Sesshomaru," he looked to Naraku."I thought you had pride as a full blooded demon. Yet you seem to surround yourself with human girls. Have you grown soft?"

 _Shit_ , feeling worried she released Sesshomaru's sleeve. She dared to glance up- and her heart dropped as he narrowed his golden eyes with anger. "You wish to provoke me?" Naraku became distracted and glanced over at the porch. Yuuki followed his sight and saw the pale child Kanna approach with mirror in hand. "Naraku, are you ignoring me?" Sesshomaru questioned.

He smiled back at him, "My apologies. I mean no ill towards you, Sesshomaru. I do, however, want that human girl." Yuuki stiffened and Sesshomaru glanced down at her, smelling her fear heightening. "She's of no consequence to you, isn't that right? Leave the girl to me and we can discuss what we can do for one another."

Yuuki felt herself begin to tremble. She held her breath, but Sesshomaru didn't respond. Glancing up at him, he was staring steadfast ahead at Naraku. _I feel like I don't have a choice._ Feeling Sesshomaru suddenly further away she clapped her hands. The beads that were scattered in the sands activated and flew at Naraku. He smiled as his tendrils formed around him, absorbing the attack and his face showing no pain. Yuuki attempted to run, but pain shot through her and she cried out, falling into the sand.

"I would be careful if I were you, girl," Naraku lifted himself up and move towards her. "You virtually have no strength left to even hope of taking me on. A nuisance has arrived and unfortunately I can't enjoy my time breaking you." Lifting her head up she glared at him through the pain. _I'm useless... Sesshomaru won't help with how weak I am now- and after he helped me!_ "I'll kill you and have Kanna take your soul within her mirror. That should suffice."

"No..." Inuyasha wouldn't come in time. Sesshomaru wasn't going to help her. She was too weak. With a whimper she lowered her head, bracing for the pain.

Naraku's fleshy appendages shot down for her submissive body, however the Tokijin glided through in a blink of an eye and the tendrils dropped. "What!?" Naraku quickly backed away as Sesshomaru stood in front of her. Yuuki lifted her head to stare at him in shock. "Sesshomaru..."

"Naraku, you would think _I_ would be so easily manipulated by your words?" He questioned and lifted his sword. "You will pay for your insolence."

Yuuki became panicked again. His pride was hurt, he was going to kill Naraku! "Sesshomaru, wait! Please!" He glanced back at her.

"Naraku!" Then all of them turned to see Inuyasha sprinting towards them at full speed, Tessaiga drawn. " _Wind Scar!_ " The attack tore through the ground racing towards Naraku, however he took to the air to dodge.

Sesshomaru glared at his younger brother, "Leave now, Inuyasha."

"Shut up!" He shouted back. "I'm the one that's after Naraku; he's mine!"

"Bickering fools." They looked up as Naraku smiled, miasma swirling around him.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice reached their ears and Yuuki looked back to see her and the rest of them running up behind him. "He's trying to escape! Stop him!"

"I'm working on it!" He lifted his sword and Sesshomaru did the same.

"No, _stop!_ " Yuuki screamed desperately as she grabbed onto Sesshomaru's pant leg. Inuyasha looked back at her surprised at her action. "Please, I'm begging you! I know your guys' pride and temper are evenly matched, but we can't kill him yet! I need to get home!"

"We can't afford to lose him now!" Sango slid forward and swung her Hiraikotsu, however a gust of wind knocked it away.

Kagura appeared on her feather with Kohaku while Kanna floated up, all of them gathering in Naraku's defensive miasma. Miroku prepared to use his Wind Tunnel, but Sango turned to him, "It's too much miasma, Miroku, you can't!"

"He's getting away!" He argued back.

Yuuki stared up at Naraku's smirk with a look of despair. _We can't get him..._ "Yuuki," he called back, "I look forward to the next time we meet."

Kagome readied her sacred arrow and aimed."Hit the mark..." She released as the holy arrow went flying, piercing through the miasma and striking Naraku. He went wide eyed as the lower half of his body was obliterated. Yuuki's jaw went slack at the power, seeing Naraku's enraged expression. They flew away as they attempted to disappear, but Sesshomaru flew after them, ripping from Yuuki's grip. " _Sesshomaru!_ " She cried, but he disappeared into the dark clouds after them.

"I'm going after them!"

As Inuyasha began to run off, Miroku quickly interjected, "And do what, Inuyasha? Fight Naraku alone?"

Inuyasha stopped shorted and glared back at him, "Duh, what the hell do you think!?"

As Sango retrieved her weapon she said, "Inuyasha, you know you can't face him alone with Sesshomaru fighting you as well."

He growled, but couldn't argue. As much as he hated it she was right. Instead he glared over at Yuuki and shouted, "And where the hell have you been!? What were you thinking hanging around with Sesshomaru!?"

"Inuyasha, sit!" Kagome hurried to Yuuki's side as he slammed deep into the ground. Kneeling down to her she inspected her friend for a moment. "You're badly hurt, but you're safe now." She frowned at Inuyasha, "Cool it, would you? Yuuki's had a hard enough time as it is. Lay off!"

Growling, Inuyasha lifted his head to shouted, but stopped short. Laying on her level, he could see her frustrated expression glaring at the ground, tears in her eyes. _She's crying_... "We need to get her proper care, but we're out of medical supplies," Miroku said.

Shippo thought for a moment and then perked up, "There was a village we passed on the way here that we haven't visited yet. Why doesn't Miroku do his trick there?"

Sango sighed, "As much as I don't want to encourage it, I'm afraid we don't have a choice now."

Inuyasha managed to get to his feet and sheathed his sword. He huffed, "Fine. Let's go." Still fuming, he marched past them all on his own.

Kagome frowned after him. "Oh, Inuyasha..."

"I'm sorry..." She looked down at Yuuki as she began to tremble. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize, Yuuki!" Shippo scurried over to them and stood in front of her. "Inuyasha's always testy, besides, he's not mad at you, he's just mad that Naraku got away again! And I'm sure seeing Sesshomaru made him upset, too."

"You have a point, Shippo," Miroku agreed as he approached with Sango and Kirara's small form.

"Don't blame yourself, Yuuki," Sango said, looking down at her sympathetically. "Like you said, with Naraku and Utsugi wanting you they won't go far. They're sure to be back again. What _I'm_ wondering is; what happened to you all this time?"

There was silence and they became apprehensive. "Yuuki?" Miroku questioned.

Shippo bend down to see her face and yelled, "She's unconscious!"

Kagome tried to lifted her limp body up. Looking over at Sango she asked, "Could Kirara carry her?"

Sango nodded and Kirara transformed. With Miroku's help they lifted her body and draped her over Kirara's back, laying her head in the mane. The group headed out and followed Inuyasha who walked a ways ahead of them, but Kagome hurried to catch up with him. Looking Yuuki over Sango commented, "We need to hurry and mend her wounds. She's in bad shape."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Miroku replied. She looked to him questioningly. "I saw a rather large headman's house in the village. I'm sure that a demon is sure to be haunting them."

Sango's expression fell flat. Shippo hopped onto her shoulder and shared the same expression. "He's already building the story in his head."

"Yes," she agreed, "but we don't have much of a choice."

The group traveled for a while and it was near sunset when they reached the village. Yuuki began to stir and groaned, lifting her head. "Where... are we...?"

"You're awake!" Kagome walked beside her and smiled. "You fell unconscious at the castle. We're at a village nearby."

"Oh..." With some effort she was able to pushed herself up on Kirara's back. "Thank you, Kirara..."

Miroku suddenly halted at the front of the group and held out his staff. "Be still! I sense a demonic aura!" Yuuki blinked, still feeling groggy. Kagome and the others shared the same deadpan expression at his antics. Yuuki looked around, they were in the center of the village with villagers stopping and staring at him. Waving around his staff, he held out a palm to feel the air. "A dark and dangerous aura is hanging over this village. It's coming from... over there!" He aimed his staff ahead of them.

Yuuki stared ahead confused. "I don't sense anything... have I become so weak?"

"Trust me, it ain't you," Inuyasha grumbled and she looked at him confused.

A villager had gasped and murmured, "That's towards the headman's house!"

"You!" Miroku turned and pointed him out. "Where is it that I sense this demonic aura?"

"It could be the headman's house," another village woman said. "To be honest, he's been acting strange lately."

"I see," bring a hand to his chin, Miroku drew more attention speaking with a loud and clear voice. "There is a evil and demonic aura coming from the headman's house, and the Headman has been acting strange. It's quite possibly that he is becoming possessed if he is not already! Come! We must hurry and purity this evil!"

He marched on ahead and Yuuki was utterly clueless as they all followed. Glancing around, she realized they were drawing a fairly large crowd. "Um," she leaned over to Kagome and whispered, "What's going on? What's he doing?"

"Oh this is a typical trick when he wants to stay somewhere nice and have an overly large meal," she whispered back. "We're out of medical supplies and we've been on the road for a while, so we're due for a break."

Yuuki stared at her. "He's... He's pretending there's a demon?"

Kagome quickly shushed her. "Keep your voice down, we don't want the villagers finding out he's a fraud."

She was at a loss for words. Shippo jumped up onto Kirara's back with her, snuggling in front and whispered, "In his defense he's not always wrong. There's sometimes a salamander demon or something."

"Oh, well... That's good..." With a sigh she mumbled, "I honestly can't complain, if we get a bath and a hot meal I'm grateful."

The group of them hung back as Miroku approached the large headman's house, chanting and waving his staff around. The large crowd that formed behind them was enough to worry the headman, a shorter, pudgier man with a top knot that came running out. "What is the meaning of-!?"

"You are possessed by a demon!" With a great shout Miroku assaulted the man by whacking him hard on the forehead with his staff. "Demon be gone!" Sticking a sutra to his injured forehead, he then swiftly and discreetly jabbed him in his fat stomach. In a moment the headman was swaying and falling onto his back. "Everyone, close your eyes and pray as the headman's spirit fights off the demon!"

Looking around, Yuuki was astonished that everyone did so. She looked to her friends and- Inuyasha wasn't surprised, but Kagome and the others were just as shocked as she was. "Miroku!" Sango hissed. "You just assaulted him!"

Ignoring her, Miroku put up his hand to pray as well. "The pain he feels is the grip of evil clinging to him with all of its might. Look after him while I go on ahead and purge the house of the demon's presence!" With that he ran off into the mansion.

"I can't believe him sometimes," Sango grumbled as they went ahead and inspected the headman.

"Is he unconscious?" Shippo asked as Kagome knelt next to him.

"Doesn't look like it. You awake?" The headman groaned, and the sutra burnt up, the injury on his forehead disappearing.

When he finally came too, the crowd showed such relief that he was tricked into thinking he truly felt better. After Miroku cleverly stashed a couple of incenses to fill the mansion with calming smells, he returned proclaiming loudly that the evil had been purified. To show his gratitude, the headman offered them a room to stay in for a couple days, and they were offered a bath, their clothes to be washed, and a grand meal.

The servants assisted Yuuki in bathing- while it was mildly uncomfortable she bared with it, and afterwards tended to her wounds. Everyone was offered an individual bath, and they all dressed in nightly robes while their clothes were cleaned. Save for Inuyasha. The group of them reconvened at the dinner hall and enjoyed the hung meal they were offered.

"I have to admit," Yuuki muffled out with rice in her mouth, "this was genius, Miroku."

"Why thank you, Yuuki!" He smiled. "Not everyone appreciates my efforts."

"Because they're underhanded!" Sango scolded. "You lied! _And_ assaulted the headman!"

"But he came out of it a better man." He continued eating unperturbed.

"I can't really complain that much, I enjoyed the bath," Kagome said, and Yuuki nodded in agreement.

"Now that we've finally settled in," Inuyasha glared over at Yuuki and she hesitated. "Where the hell were you that entire time?"

Even though she wanted to focus on the food, she forced herself to stop eating to go over all that happened. Kagome was surprised, "Sesshomaru did all of that for you?"

"Who would have thought he was traveling with a human girl," Sango said. "Maybe it's a change of heart?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "When Hell freezes over."

"There's something I want to bring up," Yuuki said, gaining their attention. "It's about Kagura. I was able to talk with her, and I think we can get her on our side."

"Did you say that she said so herself that she wasn't committed?" Inuyasha questioned.

"She wants to be on the safest team, she's a survivalist," she tried to explain. "I don't honestly blame her, but if it weren't for her help then Utsugi would have had me."

"She did take a big risk in helping you," Kagome agreed.

"Speaking of Utsugi," Miroku brought up. "What were her plans with you? Have we gained any more insight to what her goal is?"

Yuuki sighed, sitting back and staring at her food. "She smells of burnt clay and Kagura called her a doll. I fought her for a brief moment... when she beat me she called my blood _her_ blood." Looking up at them she said, "I don't know out connection, but I think I'm related to her in some way. She needs my soul... I think she's my ancestor- a clay replica anyways."

"Like Kikyo..."

"Huh?" She looked over at Kagome confused. Inuyasha was quiet as Sango spoke up, "That's right. Kikyo was a clay doll reanimated, but she needed your soul, Kagome, to fully function. Utsugi must be the same way."

"But we still don't know why Naraku's helping her, or what we really need to get you home," Miroku said and Yuuki went quiet. She was watching Kagome and Inuyasha, they both were silent and staring at the ground. She wasn't sure who Kikyo was, but she didn't feel a need to ask. Kagome upset was one thing, but Inuyasha made Yuuki nervous. _Who's Kikyo?_

"But now Naraku and Utsugi are gone again," Shippo said, gaining her attention again.

"Like I said," Yuuki replied, "They won't be far from me. Utsugi almost had me so I'm sure she's pissed off."

Inuyasha said in finality, "I don't trust Kagura though."

"You don't have to," she argued back. "We just need her cooperation. If we can prove we'll beat Naraku then she'll be on our side, and I'm hoping for it."

"It's a gamble," Miroku said. "We just have to be prepared to fight without her, and without Sesshomaru. We might even need to face them both in the future, so we have to be ready."

"For now," Kagome finally spoke again, "Let's enjoy the headman's hospitality and enjoy this food and a nice futon to sleep in!"

Yuuki sighed, "I agree."

As they continued their meal, she still withdrew into her mind, thinking about Sesshomaru flying off after Naraku. _Miroku's right, I can't put all my eggs into the Kagura and Sesshomaru basket._ Still she felt longing for his help... She knew if she had Sesshomaru then things could be over fairly quickly. _He saved me... I'm a human, but he saved me. That meant something, right?_


	11. Blissful Ignorance

Thanks to Miroku's sly persuasion, the group took advantage of the headman's generosity and decided to stay an extra night to be sure they were fully recovered. Shippo had fun playing with the villager's children. Yuuki was passing them by, smiling to herself as he showed off his fox demon tricks. " _Spinning Top!_ " With a jump and a snap of his wrist, the toy top exploded in size and the children screamed gleefully. Looking ahead she spotted Kagome and Sango, "Oh, hey. Are you going shopping?"

They turned to her and Kagome replied, "Yeah! Any special requests?"

"Nah, I'm fine," she waved it off. Looking around she asked, "Where did Inuyasha and Miroku go?"

"Inuyasha took out Kirara for some special training," Sango replied. Yuuki blinked when her attitude took a 180, turning her head in a pout. "As for the Monk, who knows? Maybe he's off tricking women with fake palm readings. _Again_."

Kagome smiled sheepishly at her while she and Yuuki both thought, _she puts up with a lot_. Smiling back at Yuuki she asked, "Wanna join us?"

"I'm all right," she replied, lifting a hand in farewell. "I'm going to go meditate."

Kagome and Sango continued down the road while Yuuki walked the opposite direction. Wandering around the village on her own, she found a lone tree that was out of the way and sat beneath it, crossing her legs lotus style. Relaxing away from everyone, she released a sigh as she rested her hands in her lap.

It was a rough night's sleep last night. Her mind couldn't stop working, thinking about Naraku, Utsugi, Kagura, Sesshomaru... After she managed to sleep she accidentally slept in, waking up with everyone gone already. _What am I supposed to do? How do I get Naraku to send me home?_ Questions she was exhausting herself with. Taking a breath, she listened as the tree leaves rustled in the gentle wind.

"Yuuki?" She opened her eyes at the familiar voice. Looking up Kakuju smiled at her, "I thought I would find you here."

Running into him on random occasions was fairly common, but she was still surprised to see him. "Grandpa Kakuju," she moved to stand.

He put a hand out to stop her, "Please, let me join you."

She settled back down and he sat next to her, crossing his legs the same way with a groan. Looking over at him she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Naraku's presence was sensed far and wide after the barrier was taken down," he explained and leaned against the tree as well. "This was the closest village to where I could sense him. I had a feeling you wouldn't be far. Tell me, how did it go? You're obviously not back home." Yuuki sighed heavily and he looked over at her. "What's wrong, child?"

"Utsugi."

Kakuju froze, the wind picking up and rustling the leaves again in the silence. As if he had troubles hearing her he asked, "I'm sorry? Who?"

Yuuki sighed again as she closed her eyes- missing his hesitation. She explained for him, "She's someone who has a hand in my being here. She teamed up with Naraku and wants my soul. I fought her once, but she's too strong and beat me in just seconds..." Her lavender eyes opened again as she stared out at the partially clouded sky. "Now she and Naraku have disappeared again." Kakuju was very silent. While he sat suddenly stiff beside her, she merely closed her eyes again in self pity. "We need to find them again and have no idea where to start. And there were a couple of people I hoped would be allies, but my friends don't think it's very likely..."

"I see..." Leaning back again he hummed, going silent again.

Yuuki opened her eyes again feeling something was off. She glanced over at him, "Grandpa? Are you all right?"

"Hm? Oh, oh I'm fine." He quickly assured with a nod. "It's difficult to determine where Naraku has gone. Mysterious demonic activity happens all around, however I _did_ hear a rumor about another village."

She perked up, leaning forward. "What rumor?"

"A few days travel to the south is Minamo Village. I had heard that young women were being spirited away. There was another rumor of that region that a demon was taking the souls of departed maidens. Whether the two are connected or not I am unsure."

"It's better than nothing." Leaning back again she closed her eyes. "I find myself growing antsy if I remain still too long."

He chuckled, "I can understand the feeling."

They then both fell into silence as they meditated. A few hours passed before it was later in the day, the sky beginning to change colors and Yuuki's stomach growled. Looking over at Kakuju she asked, "Where are you staying?"

"There's a travelers inn not far from this village," he replied as he slowly got to his feet, groaning and making general old people sounds as he moved. "I shall go there for the night. You need to speak to your friends about Minamo."

"I will," she promised as she got to her feet as well.

"A word of caution." She stopped short and blinked at him. It was difficult to determine his expression from his hidden eyes, however the air around him was grave. He was quiet for a long moment.

She blinked again. "Um... Yes?"

He was still silent. _Is he choosing his words...?_ He finally spoke, "Stay safe."

She sweat dropped. "Thanks, grandpa..." She smiled and lifted a hand in farewell, "You too, okay?" He nodded and watched as she walked back into the village.

He sighed. "Utsugi... So that's what she's up to..."

* * *

Walking into the room they were staying in, Yuuki announced, "Minamo Village to the south."

"Huh?" It seemed everyone had returned and were sorting through their things. They all stared up at her confused as she dropped down onto her futon with a sigh.

"I ran into Kakuju," she explained. "He said he heard some rumors of girls being spirited away in Minamo, and in the region to the south a demon stealing the souls of young dead girls."

Kagome stared at her. "Souls of young dead girls...?" That reminded her of someone.

Sango frowned, "Don't you think it's strange how you run into Kakuju in convenient moments?"

"Maybe," Yuuki shrugged her better shoulder, "but I find to be unlucky in everything else, so I'll take what I'm given."

Inuyasha seemed to be finally relaxed at the news of a direction. "Something's better than nothin'. We'll head out tomorrow."

Shippo looked over at Miroku as the monk mumbled to himself, "All those poor women..."

He gave him a flat stare. "They're probably better off without your help."

"I agree," Sango grumbled to herself, laying out her futon.

Yuuki watched their exchange, and then looked over at Kagome and Inuyasha. She blinked, staring at their sudden odd natures. They were both staring off, something troubling their minds. Yuuki frowned to herself feeling uneasy, _they always seem to be in sync some way... but what are they thinking about?_

"Well!" Kagome suddenly perked up, gaining everyone's attention. "The sooner we get to bed the sooner we can head out."

"I agree." Yuuki looked over and watched as Inuyasha laid on the ground, turning his back on everyone.

While everyone readied for bed, Yuuki did the same, keeping an eye on Kagome. She was forcibly focused on getting ready for bed, but Yuuki knew better. Something was bothering her. Kagome glanced at Inuyasha with a saddened expression. Yuuki's grip on her blanket tightened and she quickly turned away, putting them to her back. She curled up tight, tucking her blanket snug under her chin. _What's going on with them?_ Her stomach was twisting again. _There's always something unspoken between them... it's annoying._ The feeling of discomfort crawled up to her chest, making it tight and hard to breathe. Furrowing her brows up, she pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her head beating faster. _What's going on? Why do I get so agitated when they're like that?_

 _They fight all the time_ , she assured herself. Thinking about the times Kagome and Inuyasha bickered made her feel better, but... Every time Inuyasha was at her side- those smiles she had for him. When Inuyasha fought _so hard_ to get Kagome back from Koga. Yuuki was guilty at the time for getting Kagome in that mess, but thinking back on it now...

Yuuki's eyes widened in shock. _I'm jealous. I'm jealous of Kagome._ As if to hide from her own feelings, she pulled the blanket over her head. She pressed a hand over her mouth to muffle any sounds, horrified at herself. As much as she didn't want it to be true, the feeling fit just right. _Wh-why? Why now? Why over him!? Of all people! He's just a lousy dog- loud, annoying, no tact whatsoever, reckless..._ She remembered when he stood close to her at the demon mansion. His presence was comforting. She remembered when he made sure to stand in front of her when facing Naraku. She remembered how he was that night they spoke at Kaede's village...

 _I... I've never cared to like anyone before..._ She shut her eyes tight- tears suddenly welling in her eyes. _I like Inuyasha... and I'm jealous of Kagome over it..._

A sob caught in her chest- her shoulders jumped as she kept it in to keep quiet. She had to get out, before she woke anyone. Swallowing, she shoved all of her emotions down for just a moment. Poking her head back out, she glanced around the room. Everyone _seemed_ to be sleeping, anyways. Being as silent as possible, she crawled out of the futon and slipped her school shoes on. Tip toeing out of the room, she slid the tatami door shut and walked quietly away.

Making it to the outside, she broke out into a run. In the darkness of night everyone had gone to their homes. The dirt roads were empty as she sprint across the village, huffing, legs burning. Running through the village she came upon the rice paddy fields. Turning the bend, she slipped and stumbled, nearly falling as she went out into the open fields. Eventually she couldn't run anymore, her chest on fire as she gasped for breath.

Standing among the rice paddy fields, she stared at the moon that was rising above the black trees in the distance. _I'm jealous of my_ best friend _over a half_ demon _boy from another reality..._ As she panted, tears welled in her eyes again. _God, am I awful...?_ As a sob escaped her, she crouched down and huddled into her knees. _Inuyasha... I like Inuyasha...! What's wrong with me? I need to go home, but that's away from him... And Kagome can see him whenever she wants..._ Yuuki covered her mouth with her hand as she cried, muffling her sounds as her shoulders jumped. _I'm such an idiot... how did this happen...?_

 _"You cannot fall in love, or you will perish."_

Yuuki froze cold, Kinya's words ringing in her head. That's right. If Kinya died before she got home, then she would be the new keeper of the Dai Saishi no Tama, and if she was in love with Inuyasha already... _I'm dead_. _No matter what I do... I'm dead._

"Yuuki?" She jumped with a gasp. Looking back, she was shocked to see Inuyasha walking towards her. _Of all people right now!?_ "Geez, you ran fast. I was wondering where the hell you were going. What are you-" he stopped once he was close enough. He stared. Tears were shimmering in her eyes, her face flushed from crying. "Are..." He backed up, suddenly fearful of the situation. "Are you crying!?"

"N-no!" Suddenly on her feet, she turned her back on him as she frantically rubbed her face with her sleeves. "Stupid dog! What- what are you doing out here, anyways!?"

"Ah- hey!" He shouted back, suddenly fired up. "I was going to ask _you_ that! You suddenly run off on your own again- what if something happened to you!?"

Yuuki suddenly froze, her heart aching more. Dropping her arms, Inuyasha tensed at her sudden gloomy aura. "What do you care," she mumbled.

His ears twitched. "Okay, that's it." He marched over to her and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to turn around. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to..." He faded out, staring at her face. She was glaring up at him defiantly, but tears were still in her eyes. His ears flattened out, "Hey... what the hell's the matter with you?" He asked- more gently that time. He released her shoulder and she turned her head away. "You seemed excited about Minamo Village. What changed?"

Yuuki tensed. Should she... explain everything? She felt her face heating up- but that would mean confessing her feelings... She'd never confessed before, though her friends had done it plenty of times before. Imagining the girls confessing at her school in the halls or outside with boys, the thought made her sad. _What good would that do?_ _We're from two different worlds and_... Fear clutched her chest at the thought of rejection- worse yet if he had feelings for Kagome instead.

No. She inhaled, finding her resolution. _It's best I throw it all away- for my own safety_. She released a sigh of defeat. "Nothing. It's nothing."

Inuyasha stared down at her for a moment, making her uncomfortable. "I think I know."

"Huh!?" Taking a step back, she stared up at him horrified. "Y-you do!?" _But he's an idiot!_

He sighed, "Come here, you idiot." He moved forward and she blushed- then her face lit up like a flame as he wrapped an arm around her. He pulled her into his chest in a one-arm hug. "It's going to be all right, okay?" Yuuki merely stared wide eyed, froze, unable to think or speak. "We found Naraku once, we'll find him again. I told you we'd get you home, and that's what we're going to do, got it?" He then released her and stepped back. "So quit your crying- and quit running off on your own, would ya? If I let anything happen to you I'm sure Kagome would have my head."

"O-oh..." She stared of in space in shock still, her face red. "R-right... okay..." she slowly nodded.

"Good," satisfied, he turned back towards the village. "Let's go, you're going to need your sleep." She stared at him, a hand reaching up and pressing against her chest. _I think my heart stopped..._ "Would you come on!?" He snagged her wrist and she snapped out of her daze. "You'd be hopeless on your own, I swear." Yuuki stumbled behind him, staring at his sharp clawed hand around her wrist. _He's warm_... Her lips pressed tight together. _I don't know why he followed after me... but I need to throw my feelings away._

And yet she didn't protest, deep down wanting him to hold onto her for as long as possible.

When they made it back to the headman's house, he finally let her go, making sure she went in ahead of him. When they went back into the room, Yuuki carefully took off her shoes. Inuyasha went over by the wall again, and Yuuki glanced over to Kagome. She seemed fast asleep... no one would know that she and Inuyasha were gone, but why did she feel guilty? Sighing, she crawled into her futon. _Just for tonight_ , she told herself. Just tonight she'd play herself as a fool. _Kagome said they weren't together, so there's nothing to worry about._ For whatever reason it wasn't entirely convincing, but it made her feel better enough to fall asleep.

* * *

The next few days was hiking through wilderness, fighting stray demons, and camping out with the bugs. While the boys and Sango were fine with it, Yuuki and Kagome were a bit spoiled by the comfort of the headman's house, the two of them mourning over the loss of futon and bath. By the fourth day of traveling, they reached the top of a hill and could finally see Minamo Village, a fairly large and spaced out village with nearly empty streets.

"Oh, finally!" With some sunlight in the day to spare, Kagome stretched her arms up in satisfaction. "We've made it back to civilization!"

Shippo jumped up onto Yuuki's shoulder and declared, "I'm hungry!"

She smiled at him, "Wanna see if they have a sweets shop?"

"Yeah!"

As they made their way down the hill Kagome said, "Maybe they have an inn here, and we can sleep in a bed again!"

"There you go again," Inuyasha frowned at her. "Just what's so bad about sleeping on the ground? Sango doesn't complain." Sango blinked over at her name.

However both Kagome and Yuuki looked over at him flatly. "You can't be serious," they both replied and his ears flattened out.

Kagome lifted a finger, "For one a bed is _way_ more comfortable, and better for my back!" She smiled blissfully as she raised another finger, "for two, we'll be away from spiders, bugs, and snakes!"

Miroku then stepped forward alongside them before she got too excited. "It's still up in the air whether or not we'll stay the night, but I like the thought of having another bath."

Yuuki's body visibly relaxed at the mention of it, going into her own state of bliss. "A _bath_ … My hair's already so dirty from the outdoors." Touching it and pushing it back, she missed her hair tie.

Inuyasha turned to them and frowned, crossing his arms. "I hope you people aren't forgetting about Naraku. We came here because of the rumors, not a getaway to pamper yourselves!"

"A bath!" Kagome continued in her bliss to Inuyasha's annoyance. She took Yuuki's hands and they stared at each other happily. "Not a cold water bath, but a real, hot bath!"

"But you just had a bath days ago!" Inuyasha tried to argue.

"No more blood, sweat, and dirt," Yuuki continued, closing her eyes just to imagine how wonderful it would be. "If only I had some shampoo and conditioner…" Inuyasha's eye twitched.

"Shampoo?" Sango questioned, snapping them out of their daydream. "You mean that oddly sweet smelling lotion? I'd rather stay away from it."

"Why's that, Sango?" Kagome asked and the girls dropped their hands.

"I read the bottle once; too many ingredients I'm not familiar with. Besides," she shrugged, "Soap's good enough for my hair."

Yuuki was surprised, "Just soap?" Walking over to her, she gently took some of Sango's hair and inspected it. "It's so shiny and straight, it's gorgeous, Sango!" Sango blushed a little. "It's hard to believe you wash it with only soap."

She smiled bashfully. "Y-You think so?" She asked with a light blush, stroking her own hair.

Inuyasha was nearly brain-dead from their conversation. Shippo and Miroku joined him, watching at the girls talked about hair and such. "Well, it's good to see them happy," Shippo offered up.

"As they say," Miroku recited, "girls are happiest amongst themselves."

"You don't _need_ to keep taking baths," Inuyasha finally snapped, getting the girls' attentions. "It wastes too much time- you all take forever anyways."

Yuuki glared at him flatly. "Because we're getting _clean_."

Still he crossed his arms and continued, "You all are too soft- and those beds made you that way. I don't know how you all get comfortable in that squish."

Yuuki's eye twitched as the three girls stared at him bizarrely. _Did he say '_ squish' _?_

"Besides, I protect you from the bugs and snakes! They hardly bother you!"

Yuuki was amazed. He was being a sour puss! Kagome then giggled lightly and she glanced at her. "You're right, Inuyasha, we're sorry. We're grateful, and I hope you keep looking out for us."

Yuuki felt herself sober up, but she tried to keep her expression even. _I don't like this..._ Inuyasha was caught off guard. "Uhh… Yeah, sure. You don't have to ask." She dared to look over at him. He had a true smile on his face that made her heart skip a beat. "I'll keep protecting you."

 _But he's looking at..._ She glanced at Kagome, seeing the smile she returned. Beside her, Sango discreetly eyed her expression. She could tell something was off with Yuuki. _I want to be wrong_ , she thought, _but I'm fairly certain Yuuki's developed feelings for Inuyasha..._ She furrowed her brows up, feeling for both of her friends.

Yuuki walked off. Sango quickly called after her, "Yuuki?"

"I just want to hurry and find an inn!" She called back, forcing her voice to be light. _Not my problem_ , she thought to herself. _It's not my problem..._

Sango looked back over at Kagome, seeing she was watching Yuuki leave as well. "Kagome..." She made a sad smile back at Sango and shook her head. Sango sighed, deciding to leave it alone.

The rest of them followed after her into the village, wandering the vast and empty roads. "It's pretty quiet here," Shippo commented from Miroku's shoulder.

After saying that, and old man's voice was heard. "Oh, my! Women! And young ones, too!"

They looked forward, spotting the old man on a porch with a broom. "Your enthusiasm is creepy," Inuyasha stated bluntly as they approached him.

The old man chuckled and bobbed his head, "Sorry, sorry. The young women in our village have been spirited away as of late. Nothin' but old hags in these parts!"

Miroku was appalled by the news. "I beg your pardon? Are you saying we're too late!?" Sango shot him a look. "What am I to gaze upon while strolling through the village!?"

"Miroku!" She snapped.

He immediately backed down with a nervous laugh. "Sorry, Sango, I'm kidding!"

"Well the young men have been disappearing as well, to be fair," the old man added.

Yuuki stepped towards the old man and asked, "Do you have any idea why young men and women are disappearing?"

"Oh a demon I reckon," he replied easily with a nod. Standing his broom upright he rested on the stick. "I don't know what demon, but the next village over within the forest, Botan Village was plagued before us. We traded goods with them before, that's how I first heard of the disappearances. However the villagers have stopped comin' all together! The young folk went to check, but the fog around there was too thick."

Sango spoke to the others, "If it is a demon, it's sure to be around this village. Possibly in the forest."

"Or among the villagers," Miroku added.

"Yeah!" Shippo perked up, "they could look like other people, like with my transformation magic!"

Yuuki got the old man's attention again, "There was another rumor we heard; a demon stealing the souls of dead women."

"Hmm," frowning, he scratched his chin of a few scraggly hairs. "Can't say I know nothin' about that."

Kagome then spoke up, "How about an inn?" She sounded breathless, and Yuuki glanced back at her. She made a smile at Yuuki, but it seemed off. Yuuki offered a small smile back, but she felt uneasy towards her. _What's wrong with her? What's wrong with_ me?

They looked to the old man as he replied, "I think we still have one round here. Not much business bein' had with the rumors. Head up on this road, an old man with his wife should be runnin' it."

"All right, thank you," Yuuki replied as they headed on.

While they walked the dirt road, Inuyasha said, "Hold on." They all stopped and looked over at him confused. He turned to Kagome, "You're sick, aren't you, Kagome."

Sick? Yuuki looked over at her surprised. Kagome mustered a smile and waved off the sudden attention on her. "Who me? No, I'm healthy as a horse!"

"You lie," he said, frowning at her. "It's totally obvious. You're pale and short of breath. Not to mention your voice is weak."

Staring at Kagome, Yuuki realized he was right. How did she miss that her friend was sick? She had stared at her right in the face- and _Inuyasha_ noticed of all people. Yuuki's lips pressed tight again- _Inuyasha pays enough attention to her_. "Let me see," Sango stepped forward and pushed her hand under Kagome's bangs. "He's right, you're a little feverish."

"It's nothing, seriously," Kagome insisted, moving away from her. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't be silly," Inuyasha said sternly. "Quit pushing yourself so hard and put down that load."

Forcibly he took her yellow backpack from her- a gesture that made Yuuki jealous. Kagome sighed, but then smiled at him. "Thanks, Inuyasha…"

There they go again. Yuuki's jaw clenched, watching them smile at each other. She forced her back on them, "Let's hurry to the inn so Kagome can get some rest. We can investigate for the demon later."

Miroku sighed sadly as he walked with her followed by the others. "I suppose we can stay here if we must… At least I still have _your_ beauty to gaze at," he said to her.

"The old man had a better chance." She snapped.

Miroku sighed in disappointment, mistaking her bad attitude for her usual banter. Shippo laughed from his shoulder, "Ouch!" Sango would have laughed as well, but she knew better. She watched Yuuki with worry, hoping nothing would escalate too far.

As the group headed up the road searching for the inn, Inuyasha staying in the back with Kagome, voices easily reached their ears over the silence of the village. "Shinkichi, you don't need to come with me. It's not far from here at all." The young woman's voice caught their attention and they all glanced over, spotting her with a man beneath a tree a little ways off.

"You're not serious!" The man, Shinkichi, insisted desperately. "I couldn't face life if you were spirited away, Miss Tane!"

Initially Yuuki thought nothing of it- she'd dealt with overhearing couple's conversations in school. While she focused ahead, a few of her friends continued to pay attention as they passed. Tane was surprised, "Shinkichi..." She smiled at him warmly, "I couldn't face the day, either, if something happened to you, Shinkichi."

" _Please_ , Miss Tane," Shinkichi took her hands, surprising her again and Yuuki glanced over again. "Let me at least accompany you!"

Tane shook her head, however. "You're needed here, Shinkichi."

"I'm envious," Sango suddenly commented, surprising Yuuki.

She glanced back over at her, seeing Sango staring wistfully at the couple. "Sango?"

She smiled back at her, "Someone caring for you like that, it must be nice." Kirara mewled in agreement.

"Sango." The group came to a halt. Miroku had snagged Sango's hands and stared into her eyes with such depth that Yuuki, Inuyasha, and Kagome found themselves blushing. "There's something I want to say."

Sango was blushing herself, but she shouted at him, "Forget it, lecherous monk!"

"Dammit, Miroku!" Frustrated _for_ Sango, Yuuki grabbed Sango's wrist and pulled her away from the flirt. Holding onto her protectively- Sango blushing and the lot of them surprised, she snapped at him, "She wants a man with eyes only on her! Quit being a slut!"

Kagome choked on her own spit. The rest of them were confused. Shippo asked innocently, "What's a slut?"

"Nothing!" Both Yuuki and Kagome replied- Yuuki blushing at her own mistake. Turning her back on Miroku, she held Sango close and escorted her forward, "Come on, Sango."

"O-okay," not knowing what else to do she went along with it. However she glanced up at Yuuki's face, wondering to herself, _was she thinking about Inuyasha?_

Miroku who had been stunned eventually recovered. "W-wait a minute! Girls!" He raced after them.

"Ho, travelers!" The lot of them came to a stop, turning their attention to an older man that was sitting on a porch. "Are you perhaps all looking for a place to stay for the night?"

"Yeah, we are," Inuyasha replied. "You the inn keeper?"

"That I am!" With a grunt of effort, he got up from his sitting position. Turning towards the open door he called, "Honey! We have guests!"

"Guests?" An old woman's voice called from inside. "Well, get yourself together and invite them in!" Hurrying out of the doorway the older woman was wiping her hands on her apron. She smiled at them, "You'll have to forgive us. It's been a long time since we've had guests."

"I'll prepare a large room so you can all stay together," the old man said as he headed inside.

"What are you talking about, fool!?" The woman quickly slapped his arm and he yelped, rubbing is injured area. "The men and women will sleep in separate rooms. Use your head, would you!?"

"Ludicrous!" The man retorted hotly, holding his arm. "They'd miss each other if we broke up the group."

"For being married they don't seem to get along," Shippo commented quietly as they watched the bickering couple.

"I don't think that's the case," Miroku said to him.

Shippo stared at him. "I don't get it."

"One big room for all of us is fine," Kagome quickly cut in politely to make the old couple stop fighting.

"Who cares about our rooms," Inuyasha said. "Let's just hurry and get to sleep."

Sango's eyes widened when Yuuki's grip on her body tightened. She glanced up at her as Yuuki frowned back at him annoyed, "Can we enjoy ourselves for a minute, please? I'd like to bathe before bed." _She's more agitated than usual_ , Sango noted.

"You women and your baths," he complained.

Yuuki bared her teeth in genuine anger ready to snap- Sango grabbed onto Yuuki quickly and said loudly, "Inuyasha, you always have something to complain about." Her sudden intervention caused Yuuki to check herself. She turned away from them all, glaring at the ground. Sango played ignorant while Yuuki gathered herself.

Kagome frowned at him. "Inuyasha…"

"You're sick," he quickly interrupted, frowning back. "You be quiet for a change."

"Our large room is in the back," the old inn keeper's wife said with a smile. "Please, go set down your luggage and make yourselves at home."

They followed her instructions and went to the back of the inn. They stopped at the end of the hall and looked up at the sign above the door. "Hey!" Shippo pointed at it excited. "This room is called "Kagome's Room!"

"What a coincidence," Sango murmured, reading the sign.

"What a boring name to use," Inuyasha commented.

Kagome looked over at him offended, "What's so boring about it!?"

Yuuki huffed, still fired up from before, "Let it go, he's just a moron."

Miroku then suddenly chuckled, catching their attention. "It's the same name as Kagome's name," he explained. "He's just being shy."

"Damn you," Inuyasha grumbled angrily. "I'm not shy!"

Kagome only smiled and said in her sick voice, "Let's just go inside. Now that we're here I feel like a rest."

Yuuki _dared_ to glance between the two of them. She could see the light blush on his face and the smile on Kagome's. Yuuki fought a frown- _Kagome said they weren't together, so why the hell were they so close!?_ "Yuuki..." Sango tugged on Yuuki, causing her head to whip around in surprise. She stared at her in concern, and Yuuki didn't know what to do. _Did she hear me?_ The fear of that made her body cold for a moment, sweaty.

"Yuuki?" She nearly jumped out of her skin as Shippo jumped onto Sango's shoulder between them. "Why is it that Inuyasha is so angry but Kagome seems so happy?"

"H-how should we know?" She questioned and was quick to throw the tatami door open. The three of them entered the room first with the others following.

Yuuki finally released Sango and she looked around. "This room is fairly small for a room that's supposed to be large."

"I'm sorry, you guys," Finally taking a seat, Kagome looked sicker by the moment as she forced a smile. "I hope you don't catch my cold."

"Don't worry about that," Inuyasha said standing up. "Now hurry and lie down."

"That's right," Miroku agreed. "You've got to put yourself first in situations like these."

"Kagome, I'm going to go out for a bit," Inuyasha said and Yuuki glanced up at him.

"Huh?" She looked up at him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to catch a horse," he replied.

Yuuki stared at him. "...Why?"

"They say horsemeat lowers a fever, right?" He said to her and she knit her brows together. "One meal of that and she should be all better."

"You're not supposed to eat it, though," Miroku corrected and Yuuki furrowed her brows more at him. "You have to stick the horsemeat to your forehead."

Yuuki mumbled to herself, "I'm thankful for modern medicine..."

"Inuyasha, I know you're worried about me," Kagome said smiling at him. "And I appreciate it, but what would make me happiest is if you'd stay here with me."

Yuuki felt a sharp stab in her heart. Her fists tightened on her lap. She'd never heard anything like that out of her best friend before... _I'm not allowed to feel anything_... Inuyasha was surprised. "Kagome…" Yuuki couldn't dare look at them anymore.

"Excuse me," Yuuki snapped back to reality and looked over at the doorway, seeing the old woman walk towards them. "How are you finding your room-?"

She suddenly fell and they all jumped to their feet. "Are you okay?" Yuuki asked in alarm.

"Oh- yes," she picked herself up and smiled at them. "I just tripped is all."

"Honey!" Feet thudded down the hall and suddenly the inn keeper was on the scene. "Are you all right!?" He asked worried.

She turned to him and waved him off. "Oh I'm fine, really. Now you get back to work."

"Don't be silly!" He grabbed a hold of her to help her stand. "Your health is more important! Honestly, you're hopeless!" With that he helped her walk away. "Forget about the guests, I'll tend to them, you just lie down..."

Miroku looked down at the clueless Shippo and explained, "Just because they argue all the time, doesn't mean they don't get along."

Yuuki glanced at them, seeing Shippo think about it. "Huh. Kind of like Kagome and Inuyasha, I guess."

An innocent comment that rang true- and the final part for all the pieces in Yuuki's head to click. Forcing herself to avoid seeing Kagome and Inuyasha smile at each other, oblivious to Sango's concern, she smiled down at her lap. She could have laughed at how obvious it all had been. Eri's words from so long ago rang in her head, _"You can't tell me you haven't noticed. I haven't known anybody as clued out as you when it comes to these things. Even though it's_ so _obvious; one look tells it all!"_

She closed her eyes in acceptance. _I'm an idiot_. She suddenly got to her feet, catching everyone's attention. She spoke lightly, "Well if Inuyasha isn't going to put a slab of horsemeat on your forehead, Kagome, then I'll go get some water instead." With that she quickly left the room and slid the door shut behind her.

She moved forward with purpose, smile stiff on her face. _I knew_. She tried to put whatever there was behind her, but she didn't get far. Stopping in the front room, her head tilted down as a hand moved up to grab her shirt. _I knew_ , she thought, her bangs falling to hide her eyes. _I knew Inuyasha was the boy Kagome constantly talked about._ She remembered how she fought with Inuyasha ever since she showed up in the Feudal Era. Yet Inuyasha would protect her, too, and they got along in their own way… The feeling panged painfully in her chest and her grip tightened. Her heart throbbed with jealousy. _I'm an idiot..._

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Kagome asked cutely.

Shivers shot up Yuuki's back. She then whirled around, staring at Kagome's smile with a look akin to horror. "Don't sneak up on me!" She shouted.

Kagome only giggled and folded her hands behind her back. "It's not my fault you were daydreaming."

Yuuki scoffed and focused on straightening her clothes, plucking the invisible lint off to try and calm herself. "Well, what is it? How did Inuyasha let you out of the room?"

"I just told him I had something to ask you," she replied. "So, I was wondering if you wanted to go take a bath with me, when it's ready?"

She hesitated. _She's being nice to me... when I've been so angry and jealous of her..._ After a swallow, Yuuki turned to her with a smirk, hand on her hip. "And risk catching your cold?" She questioned and Kagome pouted. She sighed dramatically and said, "Oh, I suppose. Who knows when we'll get the chance to have a bath again."

"That's great," she said and gave a closed eye smile. "I was thinking of using the shampoo and conditioner I'd saved." She pulled out the bottles from behind her back. _Kagome…_ Yuuki gazed at the bottles a little sadly, her smirk slipping. "This shampoo makes your hair so silky and soft, mom bought it for me last week. Ever tried it?"

"I don't think so," she replied as she turned away. Looking away from her she said, "I'll go take a bath with you later, Kagome. I... I was to check out the village some more first." With that she walked away and Kagome stared after her sadly.

Yuuki left the inn and started walking through Minamo Village idly, needing to be alone for a moment. Kagome was always the nicer one of them. Yuuki never really got along with other people, but she never really tried, either. She sighed and gazed at the ground sadly. "She's nice enough to let me use her shampoo…" She closed her eyes in disgust. "I can't believe I betrayed her in such a way..."

"Shinkichi, you're still here!" Tane said and Yuuki winced. Were they really still there? She glanced over to see them under the tree again. "I made this boxed lunch for you before I left!" She handed the bento box to him and he looked like a dying man that was given the gift of life.

"Really? For me?" He questioned, pointing to himself. "Thank you so much!" He opened it up and hurriedly took a bite. "It's so delicious!" He said with a mouthful.

"Thank you!" Tane smiled weakly. "But, Shinkichi, watch your manners."

"But this boxed lunch is just so delicious!"

"You flatter me." She gently took the box from him and picked out a sushi roll. "It was the least I could do for you. Here, open up." He opened his mouth and she fed him the roll with a giggle. "How does it taste?"

After he chewed and swallowed he replied, "I'm the luckiest guy in the world, getting to spend time with a beautiful woman who cooks so well."

Tane was caught off guard, blushing. Yet she smiled, "I'm lucky, too, being able to spend time with the good man who enjoys my cooking so much."

" _Agh!_ " Tane and Shinkichi looked over confused to see Yuuki running by with her eyes shut and ears covered. However no matter how fast she ran she could still hear Sango's voice in her head, _"Someone caring for you like that, it must be nice."_

"I don't care!" She insisted loudly as she continued to run. "I'm too busy with life! With school and my club and my shrine..." Her voice faded out slowing to a stop. She had said the same excuses to Eri, didn't she? On the city transit... Yuuki became depressed, "I'm... I'm busy with studies, and chores at home..." She eventually came to a stop, standing alone in the empty village. "... It was easier being ignorant..." Eventually she began walking again, staring at the ground. "I've never needed a boyfriend before… What changed?"

 _That's a silly question_ , a voice inside her head told her. _You've never known anyone like Inuyasha before_. Yuuki hugged herself as the wandered the village alone. Thinking back, no, none of the boys that claimed to like her were as loud and argumentative as he was. As caring and protective as he was... _Inuyasha_... She shut her eyes tight, hugging herself tighter.

The fact of the matter was Inuyasha was for Kagome. As much as it hurt, Yuuki would use that as her anchor. _I need to forget these feelings._ She found herself at the edge of the forest. _After all, if I fall in love, the Dai Saishi no Tama will eventually kill me._ Stopping, she looked into the thicket of it, noting it was much darker further in. "Maybe I should preoccupy myself with the demon problem," she said to herself.

"Yuuki!"

Her face fell to dread. "You have to be kidding me..." Turning around, she was once again regretfully approached by Inuyasha. His smiling face was nearly too much. She turned away and questioned annoyed, "Why aren't you with Kagome? Go back and take care of her, I'm busy."

She began walking away, but as he called out, "Wait!" she was suddenly stopped in her tracks. She glared down at herself- _what the hell am I stopping for!?_ Sighing at herself, she turned back slightly and glared at him. "Make it quick."

"Not here," she blinked- he suddenly snagged her wrist and dragged her into the forest.

"Wha-hey!" Blushing, she frantically tried to break free from him. "You idiot- let me go! Where are you taking me!?"

"Pipe down, would ya?" He frowned back at her annoyed. "Quit struggling and just come along. I don't want anyone to overhear our conversation."

She blinked at him bewildered. "Wh-what is this about!?"

"I said pipe down! Pampered brat," he grumbled and she blushed more out of irritation. While she still struggled, she tripped and stumbled over roots. She glanced around worried, not spotting the village edge anymore while a slight fog rolled in. It was only then Inuyasha finally came to a stop, "All right, this should be far enough."

Yuuki held her breath as she waited. Her blush grew as she realized he wasn't letting go of her wrist. He turned to her and she stiffened, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek. "W-what is it?"

"I hate beating around the bush," he said, "So I'm just going to be frank. Yuuki... I need to ask you a question." More sweat built on Yuuki's face. "What are your feelings for me?"

"EH!?" She jerked back slightly- but his grip was steadfast. For the first time in her life Yuuki felt her body trembling. Hot and cold all at once sweat was raining down her body. "I-I don't- that's- w-w-why!? Why are you asking that!?"

"It's _important_ , Yuuki." He moved closer to her and she froze.

She stared up at him in slight fear. "I... I..." Her heart was hammering too hard for her to get her thoughts together.

After waiting a moment, he sighed. "All right, looks like I'm gonna have to do it first."

"D-Do wh-" Inuyasha ducked closer and pressed his lips against hers. She froze- eyes snapping wide open. Instead of blushing madly, the blood draining from her face. _Wrong_. With a slight cry, she jerked back from him. He released her wrist and she stumbled back against a tree. "I-Inuyasha..." Staring at him, she huddled to herself, body cold and ghostly pale. _This is wrong_. "Wh-what about Kagome...?"

After a sigh he furrowed his brows up at her. "Yeah, I'm worried about her cause she's _sick_. That doesn't mean I _love_ her- she's a friend." Yuuki felt dizzy. Staring at him, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Am I dreaming?_ Tucking his arms in his sleeves he added, "Besides, I just need her to find the Shikon shards."

She started slowly shaking her head. "Y-you're lying... You're lying!" She shouted. "Of course you love Kagome! It's obvious for anyone to see!"

"And this is why I wanted to be out of earshot," he said, surprising her. He walked towards her and she flattened herself against the tree. She began trembling again as he stood over her. His gaze turned heavy lidded, "I love _you_ , Yuuki..."

"Shut up!" She screamed, shaking her head furiously. _This is a dream! This isn't real!_ "Just- shut up! Stupid dog! Mongrel! I hate you! I-"

Inuyasha grabbed her roughly and forced his lips on hers again. Screwing her eyes shut she struggled against him, sounds of frustration muffled. She tried pushing, kicking, pounding on his chest. When he pulled away slightly for air he repeated again, "I love you," and kissed her again. He pushed it further and slid his hands down her body, one reaching up under her shirt and the other reaching even further, sneaking up the back of her skirt.

 _Stop, Inuyasha!_ Tears sprang to her eyes as he grabbed at her body- her undergarments protecting her from his bare hands. Her body was overcome with a wrongness. She didn't want this, this wasn't right. Left with no other options, she pressed her hand against his face and summoned her Seishin to her skin's surface. The holy power sizzled and burned at Inuyasha's half demon flesh and he recoiled with a cry.

"I-I'm sorry!" She quickly amended. "I didn't want to do that!" She hugged herself to try and remain together, feeling exposed.

Inuyasha staggered back, covering his wounded face with his red kimono sleeve. " _You bitch_..."

Yuuki froze, staring at him. His voice was raspy- not Inuyasha's voice. "Inuyasha...?"

Something dripped from his hidden face. Yuuki followed it down. What seemed like liquid was actually flesh, dripping steadily from his face. Inuyasha's body trembled as he slowly lowered his arm. " _No matter..._ " Slowly lifting his head, his white hair moved aside and Yuuki's eyes went wide with horror. As his flesh was melting away, revealing under the skin was a second face. Slick with slime and grey with beady yellow eyes. His half face grinned, " _We're far from the village now, no one will save you..._ "

"You... You're the demon spiriting women away..."

The demon chuckled as Inuyasha's face melted away. " _Taking you was risky, however once I consume you I shall be strong enough to better ward off holy powers_." Grabbing his white hair he peeled the whole mane off and threw it down with a fleshy slap, revealing the slick and wrinkly skin underneath. " _Come now, priestess. Submit and it will be painless, I promise.._."

Yuuki was too in shock to respond. She stared at the disgusting demon hunched before her, slowly inching forward. This thing _forced_ itself on her... _touched_ her... fresh tears welled in her eyes. The demon lunged at her, but just as quickly she put her hands out. " _Purify_!" It screamed, the blast forcing him back and slamming against a tree. As it trembled on the ground, body slowly burning, she grabbed her rosary and lashed out, swinging again and again at its body, each hit making it scream with new pain.

She wasn't sure how long it had been until it stopped screaming. She eventually had to stop because her arm was so tried. Enough blood had been flying to cake the tree and ground around the mutilated body. She panted, staring at the lump of grey flesh and red blood. Without warning vomit spewed from her mouth onto the ground, and she heaved a couple of times. After spitting out the rest, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Then she kept wiping, remembering that _things_ lips were on hers. She wiped, wiped, scrubbed, scrubbed, harder until he rubbed her mouth raw. After wincing from the pain she finally stopped.

She wasn't sure what to do. _Go back... I need to go back..._ Rosary limp in her hand, she began walking, her face a listless gaze. _I need to go back_... With a vague sense of needing to return to her friends, she walked through the forest, not noticing the further she went the thicker the fog became.

When she reached the village edge, she looked up, realizing everything was covered in a blue hue of fog. Slowly was life returning to her eyes as she realized, "Wait, where am I...?" Feeling anxious again, she looked around and spotted an old wooden sign. "Botan Village...?" _The village that was first attacked by that demon..._ Remembering him, she hugged herself again.

"Here you are." She jumped at the sound of a voice. Looking around, she spotted shadows approaching through the fog. "I've been searching for you." Yuuki's face fell to fear as Utsugi emerged with Kanna by her side. The woman with her face stared at her stoically. "Foolish of you to be alone."

"N-no," she took a step back. _Not here- not now!_ "Wait- please-"

"Kanna, take her soul." On command the pale girl lifted her mirror and it shone with a white light.

It felt like the air was being sucked out of her. She suddenly choked, dropping her rosary. There was a tugging sensation in her chest that grew into a ripping pain. She fell to her knees, grabbing at her chest, seeing specs of white floating out of her. _Is that my soul...!?_

Utsugi looked down at the girl as she writhed in pain on the ground, unable to scream as the air was sucked out of her. "Do not resist," she advised. "It will only be more painful." Yuuki's voice came out in a squeak, falling down onto her side, pieces of her soul floating over to Kanna's mirror. Tears were welling in the girls eyes. "Forget about your pain. Your sadness. Simply let go-" Utsugi's eyes widened, sensing a presence.

Instinctively she stepped to the side and an arrow flew between her and Kanna, disrupting the spell of her mirror. As the light fell away, Kanna looked down at her mirror. "A sacred arrow," she whispered.

The arrow flew over Yuuki's body, the holy powers allowing her to gasp a breath, and embedded in a tree behind her. "I've finally found you," a woman's voice said.

Yuuki, a sweating and panting mess, looked up with a pained expression as a new figure approached. Utsugi and Kanna turned back as well to see a priestess with long black hair emerge from the fog. She readied another arrow in her bow and drew, string taunt by her cheek as she glared at Utsugi. "Tell me where Naraku is."

"You must be Kikyo, the dead priestess," Utsugi said.

Kikyo smirked, "You're one to talk. Tell me, or I shall steal whatever soul fuels you now."

"You are at a disadvantage," Utsugi gestured to Kanna who raised her mirror. "Her mirror is more powerful that those demons at your command. You will lose."

Kikyo glanced over at the girl. Kanna was nothing but a void, giving no expression away, however her mirror glinted with malice. Kikyo narrowed her eyes, perhaps Utsugi was right, however they weren't initiating the fight either. They must be wary of her, _it may be that Ustugi doesn't know enough about my powers_ , she thought.

Deciding a draw, Kikyo relaxed her bow and put her arrow away. Utsugi pulled out a Saimyosho hive from her sleeve and the insects swarmed out, wrapping around her and Kanna and flying away. Kikyo glared after them, _however I don't know enough of Utsugi's powers either_. As the buzz of the Saimyosho faded in the distance, in the silence that's when she noticed the pained labored breathing. She turned, focused on the girl with wild brown hair- the same as Utsugi's. _Her clothing is the same as Kagome's, as is the air around her_. Where the girl came from wasn't Kikyo's concern. _If Utsugi and Naraku's incarnation were here, Naraku must want something from this girl._

She approached her, "Girl."

"Hn- no..." Yuuki struggled weakly to get away, yet hardly budged. "Don't..." Kikyo stopped short as she collapsed.

"She's fainted." Inspecting the girl closer- Kikyo's eyes widened. It wasn't just her hair that was the same as Utsugi's, this girl was identical to her. Frowning, she looked back after Utsugi.


	12. Turning Point

Yuuki's eyes fluttered open as she slowly woke. Turning her head slightly, she realized she was lying in an abandoned hut. _Am I still in Botan village...?_ She winced as memories flooded her mind- leaving Kagome, Inuyasha being a demon in disguise, Utsugi and Kanna trying to take her soul- she gasped and sat upright, looking around frantically. _Where is that priestess?_ She scrambled to her feet and ran out of the hut only to stop short. A blue flying serpent moved in front of her. She froze, staring at it, and it turned to look at her. After inspecting her, it flew away, moving as if swimming in the air. That's when Yuuki realized a lot of those demons were flying around, some carrying smoky orbs of light. While it surprised her, they didn't seem hostile so she was able to relax. Following their flight pattern, she found them slowly circling around the priestess who stood in the fog. _She seems ethereal_ , she thought.

As if hearing her, Kikyo turned around to face her. "You're awake."

"Y-yes..." Cautiously she stepped out of the hut towards her. "Did you save me?"

She turned away, focused on t he demons again. "Unintentionally. It was simply chance."

"Ah." Yuuki frowned at her. _Guess she's not a friend or an enemy then_. A blue serpent passed by her face and she jumped slightly away from it. Watching it fly away she asked, "What are these things?"

"They are called Shinidamachu."

"Huh..." Yuuki commented absently, "They're beautiful."

"Beautiful?" She glanced back at her. "What a peculiar thing to say." Yuuki looked back at her, but she turned away to her demons, raising her hands to greet one as it approached her. "They are my soul collectors."

"Soul collectors...?" Yuuki's eyes widened slightly. "Are you... are you the demon that's been stealing the souls of dead women in this region?"

The soul collector flew away and Kikyo lowered her hands again. After a moment, she looked back at her with a dark smile, "Do I seem like a demon to you?" Yuuki's brows twitched together. _Is that a trick question?_ Not knowing what to say, she remained quiet. In her silence Kikyo looked away once more. "I have been taking the souls of dead women, yes. However I am no demon. I am a priestess. I am one of the dead."

She was surprised. _One_ _of the dead...?_ She then watched as one of the collectors floated by and released the smoky orb of light. It drifted down and was absorbed in Kikyo's body, and she realized more color came to her flesh. As she watched, Kikyo and Utsugi's exchange came back to her. _"I shall steal whatever soul fuels you now."_

"Your name is... Kikyo, right?"

Kikyo glanced back at her. "Have no not heard of me before?" She gave her a confused look, but Kikyo smiled and shook her head. "Never mind. Yes, I am Kikyo. And you are?"

"My name is Yuuki," she replied and approached her more. "I have a question about Utsugi... is she the same as you? One of the dead?"

Kikyo watched her collectors for a moment. She then replied, "She is like me. A false body created by clay and the ashes of her remains. Her body is a counterfeit, animated by the souls of the dead." Yuuki was shocked not only at the information, but at how willing this stranger was to give it. Kikyo then frowned at her, "I have the same question for you. Are you perhaps her reincarnation? The two of you are identical, and she seeks your soul."

"N-no," she shook her head. Kinya was her previous life. "Not her reincarnation, but I believe she's my ancestor. It's the only explanation I have, anyways."

Kikyo hummed. "And Naraku. For what purpose does he want you?"

Yuuki then hesitated. Kikyo wasn't a friend or an enemy, but she wasn't sure if it was safe to tell her everything she knew. "Why do you ask about Naraku?"

"Because I seek to kill him," she replied. Well, Yuuki wasn't entirely surprised by that. "You can relax, I don't plan on using you for my personal gain. I will take him down on my own. I'm simply curious, you're not from this world."

She was caught off guard. "H-How do you know that?"

"Your clothes provide a clue," she replied and Yuuki sweat dropped slightly. "Besides that, my eyes can see more than the living can. I can see the disruption of time around you, a break in the current."

If she could really see so much, then there was no point in lying. Besides, an enemy of the enemy is a friend. Yuuki relaxed, "I don't know what Naraku wants from me. Utsugi teamed up with him to summon me here, and she wants my soul. I don't know what he gains from it."

Kikyo hummed again, looking away. Yuuki watched as she seemed to be thinking for a moment. "No matter. If you're well enough, you should get going. I haven't scared them off. Utsugi will return for you."

She hesitated. "I would, but... I don't know the way back..."

They stood in silence for a moment, the soul collectors floating around them.

Then there was a rustle in the bushes. They looked over and Yuuki was surprised to see a villager emerge. "We've found you..." He said in a dull voice. "Yuuki..."

Yuuki tensed, and more villagers emerged from the woods. They were stiff as they moved, and Yuuki was reminded of the undead back in Naraku's castle. "Are they Kagura's undead?" She asked.

"No," Kikyo replied, "they are Kanna's puppets. They are still alive, their souls are merely missing."

"We can't fight them then." More villagers emerged, moving to surround them.

"You're right," Kikyo agreed as she stepped back. "We have no choice." She then ran and Yuuki quickly followed after her. The possessed villagers moved slowly and they were able to lose them in the woods, yet they couldn't identify where they were with all the fog.

Once they stopped Kikyo looked back at Yuuki, seeing her short of breath. "Are you all right?"

Watching her back she replied, "Yes, I'm fine." She then looked at Kikyo, seeing her pant a little as well. "Are you? You seem a little winded."

"I'm fine… I think." She looked back from where they ran. "I have not fully recovered after my last encounter with Naraku. I escaped here to recover, however my soul collectors have been empty handed. I realize now it's Kanna's doing."

"Two birds with one stone," Yuuki suddenly realized. "With Kanna, Utsugi can get my soul. If she steals all of your souls, can she kill you?"

"It is the only way for him to kill me." She looked to her, "You should leave me be and continue on."

"I'm not letting Naraku win in any way," she said firmly. "Besides, I don't know where to go from here."

"Yuuki..."

"Kikyo..."

They froze, hearing the moans from the villagers as they shuffled through the woods. Yuuki glared over at their shadows in the fog, "They can figure out where we are."

"We're not surrounded yet." Kikyo turned away and said, "Let's continue," and started running again.

They continued running through the woods until they returned to the abandoned Botan village. Running through the streets to the far end by the forest edge, they stopped at the graveyard. Panting, they both looked back, but didn't spot anyone. "Looks like we lost them," Yuuki sighed.

"Head east of here," Kikyo suddenly said.

"What?"

"To the east," she repeated. "You will find your friends."

"My friends?" Yuuki frowned at her, "How do you know-?"

"I've found them..."

The quiet voice made them tense. They both turned to the two figured that approached them. "Kanna," Kikyo stated as they emerged.

Yuuki narrowed her eyes, "Utsugi."

Utsugi stared back at them. "Kanna, now." Yuuki and Kikyo braced themselves as Kanna's mirror began to glow, but nothing happened immediately. They became suspicious as the light went out. Utsugi turned to Kanna and asked, "What's the matter, Kanna?"

"Someone's coming," she whispered.

"I see," Utsugi glanced behind them. "Let's leave."

"Wait!" Kikyo called out, but Utsugi brought her hands together. Summoning her Seishin powers, she created a brilliant light that blinded them. When they could see again there was no trace of them.

Yuuki walked out, glaring around the area. "Damn cowards," she muttered.

"Something got in their way," Kikyo explained.

Yuuki glanced back at her confused, but then froze at Inuyasha's voice, "Oh, brother. So, this is where you've been."

She whirled around wide eyed to see them all there, Shippo looking worried while Inuyasha was peeved. Kagome and Sango were relieved as Miroku stepped forward confused. "How did you end up out here? We've been looking all over for you."

"I thought you'd been spirited away like the others we heard about!" Shippo said.

"She probably just got lost," Inuyasha said annoyed. "I _tell_ you to quit going off on your own."

Yuuki hesitated, not knowing what to say in her surprise, and then glanced beside her as Kikyo moved next to her. Her friends became shocked and Kagome shifted and withdrew into herself. Inuyasha was speechless. "Kikyo…"

Yuuki blinked at him. "You know her?"

"Fate is inescapable," Kikyo said to him and Yuuki glanced between the two. She smiled, "It's been a while, Inuyasha."

"Kikyo... What are you doing here?" He asked.

"No reason," she replied and Inuyasha went silent. Yuuki observed him. This was the most calm she'd ever seen him before, and he was staring at her so intensely. They were obviously more than acquaintances. Glancing at Kagome, she seemed emotionless as she stared off passed them, while the others were a little uncomfortable. "We'll meet again, I'm sure," Kikyo said.

Inuyasha then looked sad, throwing Yuuki off into a whole new world of confusion. "Kikyo…" Kikyo walked off passed the group, not giving them a glance and disappeared into the fog.

"Well," Miroku spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "We'd better head back to the inn for now."

"Good idea," Kagome agreed, snapping back to normal. While Sango and Shippo hurried to Yuuki, she stared and watched as Inuyasha quickly turned to Kagome, but she was quick to avoid his gaze. Yuuki blinked, not knowing what was going on. _Inuyasha knows Kikyo...?_

"Yuuki!" She was snapped out of her daze as Shippo jumped into her chest. She quickly caught him as she snuggled into her bosom. "We were so worried about you!"

"We were looking all over for you," Sango added and Yuuki blinked at her concerned look. "How did you end up all the way out here? You have to explain everything."

"A-all right..."

As she walked with the others back to Minamo village, she explained that she had run into the demon that was spiriting away young women. She left out the important details- how it was disguised as Inuyasha and what exactly transpired. Instead she simply said she got lost on the way back, and ran into Kanna and Utsugi.

Once they were back at the inn, they gathered into the room as before and settled on the floor. Miroku then asked Yuuki, "Why were you with Kikyo?"

"She randomly showed up and helped me," she explained. "Kikyo said it wasn't intentional. But she managed to chase Utsugi and Kanna off long enough for me to recover, until they came back again. Once you guys showed up they disappeared again."

"I see," Miroku said, "well, at least we know they're close. And you solved the demon problem of this village."

"Y-Yeah..." Yuuki tried not to think about it.

"Kagome, don't let it bother you," Sango whispered and Yuuki glanced over at Kagome, seeing her distant again.

Kagome quickly snapped back to reality and smiled at Sango. "I know, thank you."

"Kagome…" She looked over at Inuyasha while the others avoided eye contact. "I…"

"Oh, it's all right, really!" Kagome forced herself again as she waved it off. "Come on, guys! We all had the same hunch, right? I already figured it was Kikyo to begin with. Anyways," she then suddenly stood and Yuuki was confused. "I'm going to take a walk, I need to sweat out this cold so we can get moving again! With Utsugi around Naraku can't be far off, so we gotta be ready!"

When she left, she slammed the door rather hard behind her. Yuuki stared after her baffled. "What... was _that_ about?"

Sango frowned over at Inuyasha, "Inuyasha, aren't you going to go after her?"

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, staring at the ground. They watched him for a moment, and then suddenly he stood and bolted after her. After he slammed the door behind him, they listened as his footsteps faded off. After that, Yuuki turned to the others. "Does someone what to explain to me what's going on?"

Miroku looked regrettable to tell the tale. "We don't know much," he replied, "but Inuyasha and Kikyo were involved before Kagome came along." Yuuki stared at him slack-jawed. "Thanks to Naraku's trickery, they became bitterly angry at one another, and it cost Kikyo her life."

Sango continued, "Kagome is Kikyo's reincarnation. After a witch brought Kikyo back to life, she stole a piece of Kagome's soul and that allowed her to be revived. Their fates are still intertwined from that event."

Yuuki stared at them, processing all of the information. A part of her wanted to laugh. Well, all thoughts of her and Inuyasha suddenly flew out the window. _A love triangle with a dead ex-girlfriend? Who wants to be a part of that?_ Keeping herself composed she asked, "So... does Inuyasha love Kikyo more than Kagome then...?"

"He still has feelings for her," Miroku inclined his head. "There's no doubt about that. We don't know how deep Inuyasha and Kikyo's relationship went before Naraku interfered. I can only assume they both carry great regrets, being torn apart in such a way."

"The fact of the matter is Kikyo is one of the dead," Shippo said firmly, and Yuuki was surprised at his strong opinion. "Kagome's right here and living flesh and blood! He's stupid if he runs back to Kikyo."

"It's not that simple, Shippo," Sango said. "Kikyo isn't a bad person, it's just a tragic situation. Inuyasha has to learn acceptance and to move on. It's hard to let the dead go when they're still wandering around in the living world."

With a sigh Yuuki suddenly got to her feet. "Yuuki?" Miroku questioned, and they all looked to her.

"I'll be back," she assured with a wave and left the room.

Wandering around the village, she found Inuyasha on a small bridge. He was glaring down at the small river below, no doubt lost in thought. Yuuki stopped, observing him for a moment. Remembering the demon that was disguised as him, violating her, she felt uneasy. _It's just that idiot dog_ , she assured herself. At the very least she definitely didn't feel any romantic feelings anymore.

As she walked up to him he spoke up irritably, "What, now you wanna chew me out, too?"

"Why? You say something stupid?" His ears flattened out. Crossing her arms she sighed at him. "You're hopeless."

"I was just trying to do the right thing," he snapped defensively, still glaring at the water. "Kagome means a lot to me, but... I can't just _abandon_ Kikyo..."

Yuuki sighed again. "Where did she go?" He pointed across the bridge over to the village edge. "All right let me talk to her. Let's see if I can't fix your screw up."

"... Thanks," he grumbled as she walked passed him.

Yuuki walked through the village and found her sitting alone on a hill, staring down at the same river. "There you are." Kagome didn't respond as she approached. Tucking in her skirt, Yuuki took a seat beside her and moved in close. Wrapping an arm around her, she pulled her in and Kagome rested her head on her shoulder. "I heard."

"I know." Kagome sighed, "You don't have to be worried." Yuuki remained quiet, watching the water as well. "Inuyasha just says the dumbest things, sometimes. He really is an idiot."

"You don't have to tell me that."

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, I know." They went silent again. Kagome then frowned to herself, "Yuuki... I don't have _that much_ self-control. It's not like I _try_ to care about him... I care very deeply for Inuyasha, but he still has feelings for Kikyo, that's all."

"You make it sound like it's no big deal." Looking down at her she ask, "I'm curious. What are your feelings towards Kikyo?"

She sighed. "I can't exactly bring myself to like her, but I understand how she feels. I mean, it's not like Kikyo and Inuyasha were just friends _long_ before I arrived here."

Yuuki pulled her arm back and Kagome sat up on her own. "I had the impression you and Inuyasha were together though. Don't you feel betrayed?"

"I always have my doubts," she said quietly, her bangs hiding her face from Yuuki's view. "I hate feeling bad about it, but… But I can't pretend I don't feel the way I do."

Yuuki hummed, looking out at the water. "Maybe remind him of that. I don't know anything about his relationship with Kikyo, let alone Kikyo herself, but I mean, _you're_ the one that's with him. He'll pull his head out of his ass at some point."

"Maybe," she relented.

Yuuki got back to her feet and held a hand out to her, "Come on, I saw him being pouty at the bridge."

Kagome looked up at her worried, "What about you?"

"Me?" She blinked. "Well I was going to head back to the inn."

"That's not what I mean." Yuuki hesitated as Kagome got to her feet. She turned to her and frowned, "I could tell something was wrong, Yuuki. I don't know at what point we stopped talking to each other, but we're still best friends, aren't we?"

She gripped her hand, catching her off guard. "Y-yeah... Yes, we are, Kagome."

She tilted her head, "Then talk to me."

She stiffened up and was forced to look away, a blush of embarrassment creeping up on her. "W-well..." How was she supposed to explain everything!? "All I can say is... anyone who likes _that_ idiot has something wrong with them."

Kagome's eye twitched. "Uhm..."

She stared at her flatly. "I stand by what I said."

Kagome laughed despite herself. "I just want to know that you're okay. That _we're_ okay."

Yuuki smiled and took her hands in hers. "Kagome, I support you. Trust me, as far as I'm concerned, you're the only one that can handle that lousy dog. Come on," she tugged her and forced her along. "If he sulks too much he'll become petty, and no one else wants to deal with that."

"Heh, yeah, I know..."

* * *

Yuuki let out a moan as she sunk into the hot bath water, relaxing against the rocks that naturally held the water in. Sango was enjoying the spring water as well, smiling over at Yuuki as they relaxed at the inn's personal spring out back that was thankfully fenced off. "You seem much more relaxed now, Yuuki."

"Hm?" She opened her eyes and looked over at her. "Did I seem tense before?"

"A little bit..." She sat up, revealing her chest unashamed and Yuuki glanced away briefly out of shyness. Looking back at Sango, she smiled at her sympathetically, "I don't want to pry, but... I've noticed some tension."

Yuuki blushed more, realizing her meaning. She sat up more as well, but her wild hair helped cover herself. "I-I'm all right, I promise. I was a little... wound up before, but I'm better now."

"I'm glad to hear it." She then looked down, noticing all the dirt in the water from her hair alone. "Wow, your hair gathers so much. You were really in need of a bath in only a few days."

"Oh, I know," she replied as she grabbed the handmade soap. She began working on her hair as she said, "It's so much easier to maintain back in my world. I would wake up and shower every morning, then go through the day without so much as a paper cut let alone get into fights with demons." Sango watched as she dunked under the water and then came back up to scrub herself again thoroughly. "From fighting with Kagura to fighting the samurai at Naraku's castle, sleeping outside in the dirt and travelling in the hot sun, I've fallen in a swamp, been thrown in a couple of jail cells, and I've nearly had my soul stolen."

While rinsing again, Sango commented, "It must be a lot for you. Kagome's told my about her day to day life back in the Present. It doesn't seem nearly as active as a day here."

"It's not," she replied. Following Sango's lead in not being shy, she sat up on a rock to wash at the rest of her body. She sighed at herself, "I haven't shaved or brushed my teeth with an actual toothbrush and toothpaste in so _long_. I don't even have deodorant, and I haven't even seen what my eyebrows look like without plucking them."

Sango blinked at her. "Plucking your eyebrows? You _shave?_ " She wrinkled her nose up, "Like a _man?_ "

Yuuki paused and then stared at her. "… W-well…" She then looked down at her legs, blushing lightly. "Yeah… Just my legs and armpits…"

" _Armpits?_ " She questioned as if it were ludicrous, and Yuuki blushed more from embarrassment. "Why?" She asked confused, making an obscure gesture. "What do you gain from it?"

"… So… People don't notice… When I wear a skirt or tank top…"

"Well that's silly," she smiled at her. "Why?"

Her blush became so intense it just about hid her face. "… S-so I'm not... unattractive…?" She had never really thought about it, it was simply a society standard for beauty. However, talking to Sango about it, she felt silly.

" _Unattractive?_ " She glanced up as Sango swam towards her. "Yuuki, you're beautiful the way you are," she said and got out of the water to join her on the rock. "You don't have to go through bizarre rituals to keep your body looking like a _newborn_. I mean, look at me." She lifted her leg and Yuuki inspected it. Sango indeed had leg hair, but it… Wasn't bad at all, really. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it, and it wasn't nearly as long as a man's would get. She then lifted her arm unashamed and it wasn't bad either. It wasn't long or too dark, just natural. Sango then leaned towards her and pointed at the space between her eyebrows. There were tiny hairs that weren't noticeable unless you were inspecting her brows.

Yuuki relaxed and stared at her surprised as she only smiled back. "Wow… You're still really pretty, but… Guy's don't care?"

"Of course not," she replied as if it were obvious. "No one shaves their legs or armpits or pulls out their eyebrows." Yuuki looked down at herself. She then shyly lifted her arm, showing her armpit hair as stubble. "Now _that_ is odd," she said, pointing at it. Yuuki immediately hugged herself blushing furiously. Sango furrowed her brows and said, "Yuuki, if you care so much, then why not just let it grow naturally?"

"Because," Yuuki replied, glancing around shyly. "Women don't do that in my time… It's just how society works now… To appear attractive to guys we have to keep shaving so hair isn't there…"

"That seems ridiculous," Sango said and crossed her arms in disapproval. "If that's how your time works then I'd rather stay here."

Yuuki looked over at her and furrowed her brows up. "You mean… You're not embarrassed at all?"

"Why would I be?" She questioned, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm a Demon Slayer. I'm busy traversing the countryside! Slaying demons and hunting down Naraku. Hair is the least of a man's problem in my situation."

Yuuki laughed out of surprise, "You have a point! You give me confidence I didn't know I lacked."

"Well, you're very welcome." She nodded proudly. "Now we should hurry and finish up before Miroku tries to sneak in here."

After the girls cleaned up and got dressed again, they met Miroku back in the room and looked around confused. "Are Kagome and Inuyasha still not back yet?" Sango asked.

"Appears not," he replied with a shrug. "It could be either good or bad considering _those_ two."

"What do you mean ' _those_ two'?" Kagome questioned in offense. They looked back at the doorway to see Kagome smiling there next to a peeved Inuyasha. "I see you guy's got all cleaned up," she said as they entered.

"Sorry we didn't wait," Yuuki said, "But I was getting a little desperate."

"It's no problem," she replied. She then looked around confused as Inuyasha took a seat. "Where's Shippo?"

"He's still playing outside," Miroku replied as he stood up. "I decided to let him play instead of forcing him to stay here."

"He's such a kid," Inuyasha commented with a smirk.

Yuuki took a seat and mused, "Well he should take a bath before dinner tonight."

" _Inuyasha! Kagome!_ " Everyone turned to the door, hearing Shippo's frantic shouting. He slid to a stop at the open door and shouted, "You guys gotta come quick! _Hurry!_ "

Yuuki and Inuyasha immediately got to their feet as Kagome questioned in alarm, "What is it, Shippo?"

"It's Utsugi!" He pointed down the hall frantically. "She's gonna kill Kikyo!"

Yuuki's eyes widened, "She's back _again_?"

"Where's Kikyo!?" Inuyasha suddenly demanded, surprising her.

"B-Back by the graveyard!" Shippo managed to get out and Inuyasha suddenly bolted.

"Inuyasha, wait up!" Kagome shouted as she ran after him.

"Kagome!" Yuuki hurried after her followed by the others. She easily caught up with her as they filtered out of the inn, Inuyasha using his superior speed to gain a lead. As she ran beside Kagome- amazed Inuyasha was going so far ahead, and looked to her friend worried. "Kagome, are you all right?"

"Don't worry about me right now," she replied, staring steadfast ahead. "We have to hurry to Kikyo!"

Yuuki was astounded. "A-are you serious? But she's..."

Kagome merely shook her head. "I don't want to see Inuyasha and Kikyo together, but I'll regret it if I don't go just because I'm uncomfortable." She looked a little sad as she added, "Besides, I want to _be_ with Inuyasha. I don't want him to die. I care about Inuyasha, so _that's_ why I'm going."

"All right..." She focused ahead and said, "We need to hurry to him, I know he wants to protect Kikyo, but I can't have him be reckless and kill off Utsugi."

"I doubt she'll be that easy to kill off," Sango said from behind them.

Yuuki sighed, "Unfortunately, I guess..."

Taking the beaten path from Minamo to Botan through the woods, the group could hear Inuyasha shouting already as they neared the graveyard. " _Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!_ " Inuyasha had leapt into the air and came down on Utsugi and Kanna, forcing them to back away from Kikyo's body lying on the ground. Once he was between Kikyo and them, the group joined him as he shouted, "What did you do to Kikyo!?"

"If you're concerned about her souls, she's merely immobilized," Utsugi replied callously. Her expression then shifted, turning cold. "However I am capable of doing worse. Yuuki, give me your soul."

Miroku caught on, "She's making a bargain, Yuuki's soul for Kikyo's life."

"Yeah, fat chance!" Kagome suddenly shouted at her. "You don't get either!"

Yuuki then stepped forward and Inuyasha glanced at her. "Yuuki?"

"It's a weak bargain sparing someone who's already dead," she said to Utsugi, but she didn't react. She frowned at her, "Utsugi, you're already dead. Just what do you hope to gain by having my soul? Your time in the living world is over!"

"It's not," she replied easily. "My time was cut short. I'm merely taking back what belongs to me." She then raised both hands and aimed them at Yuuki. "Come, if you wish to resist, I will gladly take it by force."

Yuuki took off her rosary and faced off with her. Behind her, Inuyasha and the others readied their weapons as well. In the tense moment before they clashed, Kanna suddenly stepped forward besides Utsugi. "Wait." Utsugi glanced down at her whisper. A buzzing sound caught everyone's attention and a lone Saimyosho came flying down over to them. They watched as Utsugi stared at the insect a moment before it flew off.

"Count yourselves lucky," Utsugi said, lowering her arms. "Naraku is summoning me." They relaxed a bit as she turned to leave. "Kanna, take her soul. I'm going on ahead."

She then walked away into the fog as Kanna lifted her mirror. It shone a white light once more and again Yuuki felt the suffocating, searing pain of her soul being sucked out. Crying out she fell to her knees and Sango called out, "Yuuki!"

"Not a chance!" Kagome quickly fired an arrow and let it fly into Kanna's mirror. Kanna allowed the arrowhead to sink into the mirror and it shone in a brilliant pink light. Inuyasha jumped up with a shout to cut her down with Tessaiga, but a swarm of demons came down from the sky to protect her.

"She's going to escape!" Miroku shouted and readied his Wind Tunnel. "Inuyasha, move!"

Inuyasha jumped out of the way, however as the demons picked Kanna up, Saimyosho emerged from the thicket of them and flew at them. Inuyasha swung his glaive, " _Wind Scar!_ " After burning away the insects, the attack raced up the swarm of demons, but the sheer number of them prevented it from reaching Kanna, and she escaped into the fog.

"God d _ammit!_ " He slammed his sword down out of frustration. "Every damn time!"

"Yuuki!" He looked back, seeing Kagome and Shippo at her side. "Are you all right?"

Yuuki groaned, and she moved slowly to pick herself back up. "I-I'm fine," she replied, but she was short of breath.

Inuyasha then looked passed them, seeing Kikyo stirring as well. "Kikyo!"

"Come on," Kagome took Yuuki's arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. She helped her stand and they joined Inuyasha as they all gathered around Kikyo.

Kikyo lifted her head, clutching at her chest. "Inuyasha..." Her brows knit together looking almost annoyed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to save you," he replied and reached for her. "Are you all right-?"

"I'm fine." Kikyo quickly pushed herself up, retreating from his reach. He looked up at her sadly, but she ignored him. Looking to the others she said, "I see. I suppose I should thank you all. In return for saving me, I'll tell you what I've managed to learn from Utsugi. Before she struck me down, I overheard Kanna instructing her to return to Asagiri Island to report to Naraku. If you wish to go there, I suggest you take a boat from Shiyosai Village."

The lot of them were surprised. "You're giving us this information?' Sango questioned. "I thought you would want to find Naraku yourself."

"You all saved me," Kikyo replied simply. "I at least owe you this to repay the debt." She then walked through the group saying, "You shouldn't delay."

"Kikyo, wait!" Inuyasha called as she walked off. "Where are you going?"

Kikyo paused and didn't turn back. "Inuyasha, I will see you again." She then continued on into the fog.

He stared after her sadly. "Kikyo…"

Yuuki managed to lift her head to glanced at Kagome. She was staring at the ground with a distant expression. Then, after she managed to bury her feelings, she lifter her head and forced a smile for the group. "All right, so our destination is Asagiri Island."

"Right," Sango quickly chimed in. "First we have to go to Shiyosai Village and find a boat, like Kikyo suggested."

"The sea! The sea!" Shippo jumped up onto Miroku's shoulder animated. "It's been ages since I've been to the sea!"

Yuuki continued to stare at Kagome in concern, but when she looked at her she merely smiled. "Yuuki, I don't think you've been on a boat before."

"You've never been on a boat!?" Shippo exclaimed.

"N-no..." The group began moving, Inuyasha taking up the rear as Shippo went off animatedly about how wonderful boats were. While he spoke on and on, Yuuki couldn't help but tune him out as she glanced at Kagome worried again. _She's shouldering so much... She must really love him if that's the case._ One thing Yuuki knew for certain, if that was love then she felt nothing of the sort for Inuyasha, which was for the best.

* * *

Shiyosai Village was a fishing village that seemed lively enough even though the sky was covered in dark clouds and the ocean appeared grey. The group made their way towards the ocean for the village's harbor. Watching the villagers as they passed each dock, they saw women carrying vases on their heads and old men pulling in nets, even the children were helping as they ran around. "It'll be easy finding someone who can work a boat," Sango said, "but the trick will be to find someone who's available."

Yuuki looked around and then spotted an old man sitting by a lone boat on the far end of the dock. She pointed at him and said, "What about him?"

"He doesn't seem busy," Shippo agreed from her shoulder and they approached the man.

"Excuse me," Yuuki said as the man took a puff from his pipe. "Do you know where Asagiri Island is?" The man hummed in response as he blew out the smoke. They hesitated, _was that a yes?_ "Uhm... Well, we'd like to go there if you would be so kind." He only hummed again as he took another puff.

As he blew out the smoke, Inuyasha glared at him and grumbled, "Is he ignoring us?"

"I think I know what he wants." Kagome approached the man and brought her backpack around, rummaging through it and pulling out a small pouch of coins.

The old man eyed the pouch for a moment before accepting it. "Get on," he grunted, getting to his feet.

Once they were situated, the old fisherman pushed the boat off the dock and steered them towards Asagiri Island. "He doesn't talk much," Kagome said, referring to the fisherman, "but I think he's nice."

"I doubt that," Inuyasha replied and she frowned at him.

Sango and Miroku sat together and stared out at the water around them. "It's refreshing being out here," Sango said.

"I agree!" Shippo piped up as he ran around, peering over every edge of the boat. "I wonder if I can catch something!"

Yuuki smiled at him, his happy energy contagious. "Careful, if you fall in you'll be freezing the rest of the day."

Inuyasha looked around as Kagome enjoyed the scenery as well. "Isn't it peaceful?" Kagome said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Inuyasha frowned, looking around again. "We're going too slowly," he said and stood.

Yuuki glared up at him flatly. "Inuyasha, sit back down."

He ignored her and rummaged through the boat until he found a paddle. "Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned nervously. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" He then began rowing on one side of the boat furiously. "I'm getting us to Asagiri Island!"

The fisherman gritted his teeth and tried to force the boat to keep straight. Inuyasha's harsh movements rocked the boat and caused everyone to grab onto something with a death grip. "Inuyasha!" Yuuki shouted at him. "Are you insane!?"

"I'm helping!" He replied and continued his rowing.

"You've got to keep it straight!" Sango said urgently.

"It is!"

Yuuki _hurked_ and slapped a hand over her mouth. Quickly she leaned over the boat edge and Shippo became alarmed, "Yuuki, are you all right!?"

"You've got to keep it straight!" Sango said urgently.

"It _is_!"

As Yuuki stared out at the horizon, she groaned out, "I'm kicking him off the boat..."

"Inuyasha, knock it off!" Kagome snapped at him, "If Yuuki gets sick she'll get sick on you!"

Inuyasha frowned in annoyance, but he stopped rowing. "That's a pampered brat for you. Come on, Yuuki, grow some sea legs!"

"I hate you..." _Hurk.._. _blueh_...

With the fisherman able to do his job, they reached the island shortly after noon. The clouds began to break as Inuyasha helped drag the boat onto the sands, the sunlight warming them from the ocean spray. "Thanks for the ride, sorry for the delay," Kagome said sheepishly to the fisherman, but the old man merely grunted, lighting his pipe again. "Well pay you for a return trip. And the trouble."

"Let's walk up this way," Sango said and pointed down along the shoreline. "I can see a path that leads into the island."

"Good job, Sango," Miroku said and they began their walk.

Walking behind them in front of Inuyasha and Kagome, Yuuki stared up at the island, seeing the looming mountain. With the sunshine and crisp, clean air it was hard to tell if Naraku was really hiding out at the island. She imagined it would be desolate like the castle; grey and lifeless. "Hey, look!" Shippo jumped up onto her shoulder, causing her and the others to stop, and he pointed down the hill back at the shore. "A boat! Is someone else here, too?"

"Must be if it's here," Sango said and brought a hand to her chin. "It could be Utsugi's..."

Yuuki looked at her and said, "More than likely it's Kikyo's. She headed out before us."

"Then she beat us here. And we know who else is searching for Naraku," Miroku said and they looked at his serious face. "Sesshomaru. Since Naraku escaped he would have been searching relentlessly. We need to hurry and find Naraku first."

The group hurried up the mountain and followed the path leading into the forest. Travelling the winding paths, Inuyasha came to an abrupt halt. "I smell a demon," he said and turned to stare up a path. "It's not like Naraku's, but it's something." He ran and they chased after him.

He led them to a cliff and then encountered a small flying red bat-like demon fluttering around. It laughed at them. "You _came!_ "

Sango blinked at it. "It's just a little thing..."

Inuyasha crossed his arms looking unimpressed. "And who are you?"

"Nyaha, I'm your doom!" It then spat out a weak ember that fell to the ground.

They waited, and then sweat dropped. Yuuki then asked, "Can you tell us where Naraku is?"

"Just wait!" It squeaked at them. "It won't matter to you in a moment, since you'll be dead!" It then laughed.

Inuyasha cocked his head. "Is it _serious?_ "

Shippo then sniffed the air. "Uhm... Does anyone else smell that?"

Inuyasha sniffed and frowned, "What is that?"

Sango sniffed as well, and then suddenly became fearful. "It's gunpowder! Everyone, run!"

Just as they set out to move, the ground erupted beneath them. The sound of the explosion made their ears ring. The ground below them was blown away and they became weightless, blinded by the light of the blast. Yuuki couldn't see or hear- the wind was knocked out of her and she struggled to breathe as she tumbled uselessly. She was knocked around- her ribs, back, and legs getting banged up. Finally she hit the ground, rolling a few times before she stopped on her side. Her vision was black for a moment, focused solely on the effort to breathe.

Eventually her vision came back, and she was staring at foliage and moss covered boulders and trees. Gaining her breath, she began coughing, and remained still until all her senses came back to her. Every part of her aching and throbbing, she slowly forced herself to sit up. She winced, and then looked around to spot Inuyasha lying a few feet away. While coughing she managed out, "Inuyasha...?"

"Nng..." He stirred as well and mumbled deliriously as he picked himself up, "Ka-Kagome...?" After lifting his head and coming to his senses, he realized she was there, "Yuuki..." He perked up, "Yuuki, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she replied, getting to her feet. However her cried out in pain and her knees buckled.

"You idiot," he hurried to her side and helped her up. "Don't push it, you're just a human."

"Oh yeah?" She frowned at him through the pain, "And you're just fine?"

"Of course I am," he replied as if it were a stupid question. "I'm a lot tougher than you are." He then guided her forward- only for his legs to buckle and they both went down.

After yelping from pain, she glared at him, "Now who's the idiot!"

"Shut up!" With a grunt he pushed himself up a little, "Guess I was banged up more than I thought..."

"I can see that." Yuuki forced herself to her feet. She held her ribs, but she was able to stand while Inuyasha seemed worse than he originally was. She sighed, "Look, I know you don't like being told what to do, but just stay put for a while, okay?"

"As if," he shot back, while still struggling to sit up. She stared at him dully. Helpless.

She then frowned to herself, thinking. _We_ _were caught off guard, great._ She sighed again, _Inuyasha's too stubborn to sit still for me to find everyone else..._ "Don't think it," he suddenly snapped.

"Uh-?" She blinked at him, "What?"

"I know what you're thinking," he glared at her. "You're wanting Sesshomaru here aren't you? What's your obsession with him anyways?"

"... _Eh?_ " Blinking she stared at him openly confused. " _Obsessed?_ I'm not- I'm not even thinking about him!" Her expression suddenly changed to thoughtful again, "Although if he _were_ here..."

"There you go _again!"_ He yelled and she blushed, retracting from him. "That's your thinking-of-Sesshomaru look. I told you to forget that guy, you can't trust him! He's a cold hearted jackass and you can't fall for his bullshit!"

"Okay- jeez!" She hissed, trying to calm him down. "Keep it down, would you!" Turning her head away she mumbled to herself, "I see what the others mean now..."

" _What_ was _that?_ " He growled and she kept quiet. "Yuuki," he inched closer and she dared to glance at his irritated aura. " _What_ did the others say?"

"Well..." She avoided his look, "Just that... you feel a bit inferior to him, you know, cause he's stronger."

His aura was suddenly massive and looming over her, making her shiver. " _Who_ said that? Did _Kagome_?"

Oh shit, "N-no!" She quickly lied, waving her hands to clam him. "J-just everyone else!"

"Everyone!?" He nearly roared.

"That damn imp." The two of them froze. Yuuki quickly shushed him. They could hear Kagura in the distance, and she was frustrated. "Now they've all scattered. This is a waste of time!"

Yuuki hurried over to a boulder, trying to peer through the foliage above as Inuyasha dragged his limp body after her. "It's Kagura and Utsugi," she whispered, seeing the two women on a path just ahead.

"Hey," Yuuki glanced down at him. Leaning against the rock, he had an oddly serious air around him. "Run away."

"What?" She questioned confused. "What about you? You can barely move."

"C'mon, you really think they could beat me up?" He questioned, but then winced and held his ribs. She frowned at him. "Besides, _you're_ the one they're after. Hurry and get out of here."

"Oh, shut up," she said and headed off.

"Hey!" He hissed, glaring after her. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"I'm going to fight, duh," she replied, peering through the shrubbery again. "If I run it's not like I'm getting very far. Besides, I need to protect you, for Kagome's sake." That surprised him and Yuuki gave him a small smile. "If you got hurt then she'd be kicking herself for not being by your side."

"Uhh-" he stared at her dumbly, a slight blush on his face. Yuuki took the opportunity to push through the shrubbery towards Kagura and Utsugi and he suddenly snapped out of it. "Wait! You idiot!" He hissed, pulling himself along the ground. "Stop it! _Stop it!_ "

Emerging from the forest, Utsugi and Kagura stopped short on the path. Kagura was surprised, but she quickly hid her face behind her fan. She grit her teeth, _that idiot, she's committing suicide fighting us alone._ She eyed her up and down, noting her clothes were a dirty mess and she was hunched slightly, holding her ribs, even if her expression was steadfast.

Utsugi's eyes narrowed at her, "Found you."

Yuuki pulled off her rosary and forced herself to stand tall, aiming it towards Utsugi. "I let you," she corrected. "Fight me here, Utsugi. No more using Naraku's power, let's see if you're good enough to take my soul on your own."

Utsugi then smiled slightly. "You challenge me. Have you not learned from our last battle?"

"I'll kick your ass!" Yuuki declared. "You **won't** win." Kagura stood to the side, eyeing her. _She still has a strong fighting spirit..._

She snapped her fan closed, gaining their attention. "I've done my part," she said to Utsugi, "I don't have to waste any more of my time for your cause."

"Very well," she turned back to Yuuki. "You are unnecessary." Kagura's lip raised slightly.

Surprising her and Yuuki, Utsugi suddenly dashed forward, gliding over the ground and aiming her fine nails as she had done before. Yuuki's eyes widened as she tensed, but just before Utsugi closed in a sacred arrow flew between the two of them, stopping her in her tracks. _Kagome!?_ Yuuki gasped, and they all looked up the hill. "Kikyo," Yuuki said in surprise.

Kagura narrowed her eyes up at the priestess. She knocked back a second arrow and declared, "I will not miss a second time, Utsugi."

Utsugi stared back at her dully. "Pretty dolls are easy to break, Kikyo." Kikyo merely smiled darkly at that.

"Utsugi, we're done here," Kagura said firmly and waved her fan. On her command a hoard of demons came from within the mountain, blasting out through the side and sweeping to the of them up. Kikyo was forced to lower her bow as Yuuki put her hands up against the blast of air that hit them. _That many demons came from the mountain!?_ There was no mistaking Naraku was there now.

After Kagura and Utsugi were taken away out of sight, Kikyo walked down the hill to meet Yuuki. "You are reckless. In your state Utsugi would have defeated you easily."

Yuuki sighed, she had to agree. "It couldn't be helped." She then looked back into the woods where Inuyasha was.

Kikyo followed her gaze and then walked towards him. Yuuki followed after and the two of them found Inuyasha resting against the boulder, holding his deep red stained kimono. Yuuki's eyes widened, "Inuyasha, you're bleeding?"

Inuyasha glanced up- looking like he was ready to say a thing or two to her, but stopped short in shock. "Kikyo..." He attempted to get up, but was quick to fall back down. "Dammit, I still can't move."

"I'm disappointed in you, Inuyasha." Both him and Yuuki were surprised at Kikyo's words. The priestess stared down at him indifferently. "You fell for such an obvious trap. You're in no condition to be fighting Naraku now."

"Kikyo, why are you on this island?" He demanded.

She smiled again, a scary expression on her pale face. "I'm here to kill Naraku, of course. A task you are unable to accomplish."

Inuyasha's ears flattened out slightly. "Kikyo..."

Kikyo suddenly turned to Yuuki and she jerked slightly. Reaching into her hakama, she pulled out a small corked bottle. "Take this," she handed it to Yuuki and she accepted. "It's a special medicine I acquired from the eastern shores. Drink this and you should recover more quickly. Yuuki," she quickly focused on Kikyo's brown eyes. "Naraku is hiding within the mountain. Prepare yourself if you intend to proceed."

Sighing again, she looked down at the bottle. "No matter what, I have to try."

Kikyo watched her for a moment, then without another word she turned and left the two of them. Yuuki popped off the cork and drank half of it, and then walked over to Inuyasha and offered it. He turned his head away stubbornly, "I don't need that stuff."

Yuuki nearly collapsed from exasperation. "You can't even _move_ , Inuyasha. Just drink the damn thing so we can find the others."

"It's not that serious," he insisted persistently. "Just give me a minute and I'll be fine."

She stood upright and took a breath. After that she then knelt down to his level. She stared at him in the eye and said, "Inuyasha, injured people need to allow themselves to be taken care of."

"Look who's talking," he retorted. "You're knee is bleeding."

"Your _gut_ is bleeding!" She shouted back. "Quit being yourself for five minutes and just take the damn medicine!"

"I told you I don't need that crap!" He shouted back.

"How does Kagome even _stand_ you!?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean!? How does she stand _you_!?"

"You're nothing but a child!"

"Look who's talking! _Pampered brat!_ "

" _Lousy dog!_ "

"Found them!" Miroku's voice called happily.

They both whipped their heads around to see him smiling at them, pushing open the bushes. Shippo jumped up onto his shoulder and frowned at them, "We could hear you two across the island. It was easy to find you." Yuuki blushed from embarrassment while Inuyasha tch'd.

Sango then popped up beside them and smiled, "Inuyasha! Yuuki!"

Kagome popped up on their other side looking worried, "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine!" Inuyasha snapped at her. "All of you quit your yapping!"

Kagome blinked at his tone. Turning on a dime she glared and yelled back, "Sorry for being concerned! I'll make sure to not care next time!"

"Don't mind him, he's just moody cause he's hurt," Yuuki amended as they all approached. Inuyasha shot her a venomous look, but she ignored him. "We've confirmed that Naraku's on the island, he's hiding inside the mountain."

"Hiding?" Sango echoed. "Now that I think about it, we don't know what happened to his encounter with Lady Kinya back at the castle. It's possible she did some damage to him with her sword Ginkkoken, it's supposed to be _filled_ with holy power."

"He could be recovering," Miroku said, following her line of thought. "That would explain why there was such a trap ready for us."

"We should take this moment to make sure all our wounds are healed," Kagome said and Yuuki corked the remaining of the medicine, pocketing it. "Inuyasha, can you stand?"

"Of course I can," he grunted and forced himself to his feet. Yuuki sighed, but stood with him instead of arguing. "All of you take care of yourselves first, we need to be ready to end Naraku once and for all."

Yuuki stiffened. _End him..._ Keeping quiet she glanced around, seeing the resolution in her friends faces. Sango's grip tightened on her Hiraikotsu, "Naraku... I'll kill him and get Kohaku back."

Miroku looked down at his covered hand, "and I'll finally be free of my curse."

Yuuki kept quiet on the side as everyone sat back down, Kagome pulling out her medical kit. _But if we_ kill _Naraku, will I be able to get home..?_ She turned her head away, she knew better by now that they had no way to overpower Naraku and bend him to their will like that. He wouldn't listen to anything they had to say. She frowned at the ground, _if_ he _was here then could be possible_... _Sesshomaru_...


	13. Asagiri Island

Running around the mountain through the forest, the dark clouds rolled in and it began to rain. While Inuyasha followed the demons scent, he took the lead as he carried Kagome on his back. Sango, Yuuki, and Shippo rode Kirara while Miroku ran beside them as they followed. "It's close!" Inuyasha called and he leapt forward.

The rain came down harder, the wind picking up and the scent being worn away. Still he led them to the mountain edge, stopping a slight crevice in the side. "It ends here," he said and let Kagome down.

Kirara landed and Miroku hurried forward, inspecting the stone wall with Inuyasha. The girls dismounted and Shippo jumped off, joining the boys in inspecting the wall. "There must be a hidden switch," Miroku said.

"Yeah, or we can just break down the rock," Inuyasha countered.

Bracing against the wind and rain, Kagome said, "Whatever you guys do, hurry! We're getting soaked!"

" _Aahh!_ " Shippo shouted and they looked over at him alarmed. The stone wall shifted and Shippo fell back on his butt, staring up fearfully as the stone moved away and created an opening to the darkness. "Yuuki!" He yelled and ran back for them.

Yuuki opened her arms and caught him as they stared at the hole in the wall suspiciously, bracing themselves for an attack. They waited a few beats until Sango spoke up, "Nothing's happening."

"You found the switch, Shippo," Yuuki smiled down at him and he grinned back.

They hurried inside the cold cave, and Kirara shook herself out, spraying the rest of them. While they wrung out their clothes, Inuyasha was staring into the tunnel. "He's here. This place reeks of him."

Kagome walked up beside him looking worried, "Something isn't right though..." They all glanced at her. "If Naraku's really here, then why can't I sense the jewel shard? His half is so large it's hard for me to miss."

Miroku and Sango shared a worried glance. When Inuyasha tensed, Yuuki quickly interjected, "If Naraku's injured, he'd anticipate us coming after him. The smart thing for him to do would be to relocate his jewel shard, keeping it in a safe place until he recovered."

"Yuuki has a good point," Miroku agreed and Inuyasha was able to relax again.

Kagome took out a flashlight from her backpack and used that to light the way as they went deeper. Wandering through the tunnel, there was the sound of chains rustling and they paused. Kagome suddenly gasped- rushing at them from the darkness was a glint with rustling chains. "Look out!" Inuyasha exclaimed. Everyone moved and Yuuki jumped to the side, realizing a kusarigama had just nearly missed her.

She looked back wide eyed as the blade stuck in the stone ground. "That's Kohaku's!" The chain flicked and the blade released, retreating back from where it came.

Looking back down the tunnel, Kohaku emerged, looking lifeless as ever. "Kohaku!" Sango called out, but her brother threw his weapon again. This time Inuyasha jumped in front of Kagome and whipped out his Tessaiga, knocking the blade away. As he pulled his weapon back Sango pleaded, "Kohaku, _please!_ " Kohaku looked around and then spotted Yuuki. She tensed as he threw the sickle at her again. She grabbed her rosary and pulled, releasing the whip and parrying his attack.

"What's the matter, Naraku!?" Inuyasha shouted into the cave, "Run out of ideas to stall us!?"

Kohaku readied to attack again, but Sango had enough and rushed forward. "Sango!" Miroku called after her, but she ignored him and drew her tanto blade.

" _Enough_ of this!" As Kohaku threw his sickle, Sango purposely tangled her blade in the chain, letting the weapons drop to the ground. She then brought her Hiraikotsu around and slammed it into him, pinning him to the stone wall. "Kohaku, snap _out_ of it! _Recognize_ me!" She pleaded, staring at her brother's lifeless eyes. Tears welled in her own, tears of frustration. "Kohaku! It's me, Sango! Your sister! It's _me_ , Kohaku!"

Her friends behind her watched and waited pensively. Then, " _Hnng_... sister...?" They gasped, none more surprised than Sango.

She stared down at him in shock. His face was scrunching up as he groaned, "Sister... San-ah," he winced, and the Hiraikotsu dropped to the ground.

"Kohaku," she held his face in her hands, trying to see into his eyes, "Kohaku, remember, please! Sango, your sister!"

"San... go..." Light returned to his brown eyes and he cried out, grasping at his head. "My head... it hurts..." His knees buckled and Sango quickly caught him, kneeling down on the ground with him. "My head...!"

As they rushed to their side, Miroku stared down at Kohaku dubiously. "He's breaking free of Naraku's spell?"

"Naraku's _weakened_ ," Yuuki reminded him.

Kagome frowned at her worried and explained, "There's a jewel shard embedded in Kohaku's back. Naraku's been manipulating him through the Shikon no Tama, not his own powers."

"And the jewel shard isn't _here_ ," Yuuki quickly reminded her, excited at the realization at how weak Naraku really was. She even smiled as everyone looked to her as she went over, "Kinya cut him down and he hid the Shikon shard away from this place. He's so focused on recovering that his hold over Kohaku is slipping! He-" she stopped short, her face falling.

Her friends missed her sudden change as they looked to Inuyasha who was smirking. "He made the biggest mistake of his life. We finally have him cornered."

 _He made a mistake_ , Yuuki thought, staring down at Kohaku. Realizing that, an ominous feeling settled over her.

"Kohaku," Sango held her brother close to her. "I have to take him far away from here, while he's breaking free of Naraku. Kirara!" Kirara came over and Miroku helped Sango put Kohaku on her back. "Please, take Kohaku to Kaede's village."

Yuuki stared after Kirara as she went back out of the cave with Kohaku. _Naraku's clever enough to hide the sacred jewel away, but he should be clever enough to not let a trump card like Kohaku get away from him, even in the state he's in..._

"Come on," Inuyasha's voice brought her back and she looked over, seeing Sango gather her and her brother's weapon. "We need to keep going." Following him further into the mountain, the tunnel eventually broke into several more, and Inuyasha did his best to follow the scent, but he came to a cross roads. He growled in frustration, "Dammit, everything reeks down here. I can't figure out which way to go."

Sango frowned, "We'll have to split up."

"That's too dangerous!" Shippo piped up from the ground. "We're so close to Naraku, he'll pick us off one by one!"

"It _is_ risky," Kagome mused on the side.

"You lot really are pathetic." Kagura's voice cut in- and in a heartbeat everyone was on guard. They couldn't see her as she hastily added, "Put your weapons down, I'm not here to fight."

Yuuki's brows twitched together, and she was the first to lower her guard. "Don't be stupid," Inuyasha snapped at her. "It's Kagura!"

"Yeah, I know," she replied sounding just as irritated. She moved forward, acting as the front of the group. "They're not going to drop their guard, but we won't attack."

"We won't?" Sango questioned and Yuuki shook her head.

"If this is about what I think it is, then it's fine. Right, Kagura?"

Kagura then emerged from the shadows from a tunnel, Kagome fixing her flashlight on her. Kagura winced irritably from the light, but managed to not make a comment as she frowned at Yuuki. Yuuki then smiled, and Inuyasha looked between the two of them. "Oh hell no- no way!" He glared at Yuuki, "You really are stupid if you're thinking of trusting her!"

While the others were questioning, Miroku perked up. "I remember- Yuuki offered Kagura to team up against Naraku!"

"But why would she do that," Sango questioned harshly. "She's fought us time and again- she's stolen jewel shards for him!"

"Do you think I'm happy being bound to that coward," Kagura snipped back. Reaching up, she clutched at her kimono above her heart, glaring at the ground. "Complying to his twisted schemes- pathetic. I shouldn't be chained down to a demon, I should be flying free." She eyed them all, "I despise him as much as you do."

"But you're his incarnation," Kagome said- more speculating rather than aggressive. She was dubious, "If you're a part of him, why would you want to betray him?"

She scoffed, "You think that because I'm a part of him I'm safe?" She dropped her arm. "He's always used and thrown things away- he only cares for himself. The moment he finds me useless he'll either discard me, or reabsorb me. I refuse to leave my fate in his hands."

There was a moment of silence before Inuyasha spoke up, "Are you fucking serious."

"Inuyasha," Yuuki frowned at him, "it's a temporary alliance. It's not like you have to be friends afterward."

"It's _Kagura_." Again he spoke as if she were stupid and she ticked.

Kagura smirked at him, "Are you perhaps afraid of me?"

He readied his Tessaiga, "Gladly show you otherwise."

Her face fell. "You can't locate him, can you?" Inuyasha bared his teeth, but as everyone watched and waited, he said nothing.

After that Sango and Miroku relaxed their battle stances. "I can believe her hatred for Naraku," Miroku said and Inuyasha growled.

Yuuki frowned at Inuyasha as he refused to back down. "Inuyasha, just this once! You can kill her afterwards if you really want, all right?" Kagura scoffed at that.

"Dammit, whatever, fine." Though he wasn't happy, he sheathed his sword. He kept his glare trained on Kagura, however. "Anything suspicious from you and I'll kill you in a heartbeat, got that?"

Kagura smirked, a part of her looking forward to the fight. "Loud and clear." She turned down a tunnel, "Follow me," and went into the darkness.

The group was tense, but they followed, Kagome keeping the light on Kagura's back. As they followed her down the path, a rotting odor wafted towards them, forcing them to cover their noses. "It reeks down here," Inuyasha grumbled.

"You get used to it," Kagura replied in lighthearted sarcasm. "Watch your step."

They all hesitated, inspecting the ground. Yuuki's eyes then widened, "That's- flesh?" Kagome shinned the light on the mounds of discolored flesh.

Kagura stopped and looked back at the group as they inspected their surroundings. "This is what happens when Naraku doesn't find use for the demon he's consumed. He disposes of them."

"Then what happens to Naraku?" Shippo asked confused. "Does he have other demons to absorb?"

"He does, but it's a process," Kagura replied. "It's his way of growing more powerful. The closer we get to his chamber, the more of these we'll find." She turned away and mentioned absently to herself, "That woman did a number on him." It made her smile, "I've never seen him so livid before."

Yuuki then asked, "How much further?"

"Not much. Turn that light off, it'll be easier to sneak up on him with the luminescent cave crystals further in. Catching him while he's recuperating, we might actually have a chance to kill him."

Kagome did as she said and readied her bow instead. Following her to a split in the tunnel, Kagura stepped aside and gestured down one of the paths with her fan. They readied their weapons, Yuuki pulling off her rosary and checking her pocket for her talisman. _This is it_ , she thought to herself. The demonic aura pouring out of the tunnel was immense, and the pressure only heightened her anxiety. _I have no other choice, we have to bring him to his knees._

Killing might be their only option, and she could only hope she could get home still.

They rushed into the chamber- and stopped short upon seeing Naraku. The cave was lit up by the blue crystals embedded in the rock, and Naraku was lying back on a pile of stone. From the waist up he was still wearing his purple robes, torn and damaged from his fight with Kinya. Naraku's eyes opened and he smirked, "Kagura... you foolish thing." Beneath him a mess of flesh reforming and shaping, clumps falling away while a mass pulsed, looking like he was digesting.

Inuyasha smirked at the sight of him. "It looks like you're still putting yourself together." He pulled out his Tessaiga. "You will receive no mercy- time to _die!_ " He swung his blade up and Yuuki clapped her hands together.

" _Spirit's Rage!"_

" _Wind Scar!_ " Yuuki's powers twisted and shot forward, shattering the barrier protecting Naraku, allowing Inuyasha's attack to strike. On impact, miasma exploded from Naraku's body in a defense.

"Hold your breath!" Sango shouted, fastening her mask on.

Kagura suddenly rush forward through the group, surprising them. "Kagura!" Yuuki shouted after her.

 _"Dance of Blades!"_ With a twirl and a swing of her fan, she manipulated the miasma back and threw her wind blades at him.

The group braced against the harsh wind, and once everything calmed down they were able to see Naraku's body. A heap of bleeding parts and chunks with Kagura standing over him, "Not yet!" Again she swung her fan, and again, and again, unleashing a torrent of blades and mincing whatever was left of him.

"Move, stupid!" Inuyasha called. "I'll vaporize the last of him, get out of the way or I'll get you, too!"

While Kagura continued to butcher Naraku's body, Yuuki's senses suddenly heightened. Her eyes widened, sensing something building. "Kagura- get back!" The flesh of Naraku suddenly swelled. Naraku's chuckle echoed in the cave as it rose like a wave, crashing down over Kagura as she screamed. " _Kagura!_ "

Kagome gasped, "He's absorbing her! Inuyasha-!"

"I know already!" He swung his glaive, " _Wind Scar!_ "

A stone was spit out of Naraku's flesh, intercepting the attack and creating a barrier to take the blow. After it was shattered, "A barrier crystal," Miroku identified.

"Foolish, Kagura. You need to be punished." Naraku's bare upper body suddenly sprouted out, reforming in a heartbeat. He grinned at them, his lower half twisting and morphing into a mass of tendrils. Out of his back sprouted four spiked legs that readied to strike.

"He's huge!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Yuuki," he focused on her and she tensed. "Seems your last resort was a failure. Tell me, did you have anything left to barter?"

No, she didn't. Unless she gave up all her powers, but- Yuuki's eyes widened, realizing something. "Wait-where's Utsugi?"

"Away from here. Unfortunate for her." The legs on his back twitched in anticipation. "She desired your soul, but it seems she's missed her chance. Instead I'll consume you and gain access to the Dai Saishi no Tama, eliminating Manami's line of succession and having _two_ jewels for myself." He loomed over them, "Time to die."

"Shut up, Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted and raised his sword. "Yuuki!"

Yuuki clapped her hands together and her Seishin powers flared. " _Spirit's Rage!_ " The translucent tentacles shout out in a flurry of movement. They forced out whatever hidden barriers he possessed and shattered them.

" _Wind Scar!_ " Inuyasha slammed his Tessaiga into the ground and sent his attack racing towards Naraku.

Naraku sacrificed part of his body, getting blasted by the attack, yet his tentacles raced around the edges of the cave and surrounded them. Inuyasha cut them down while Yuuki used her purifying touch to melt the flesh away. While Sango and Miroku used their melee weapons, Shippo managed weakly with his fox fire.

Kagome struggled as she aimed and released her arrow, taking too long and becoming surrounded. "No!" She screamed, swinging her bow to repel them. "Get away!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, but too late did they act.

Snaking around her body, she screamed again as they went through her clothes until they found her cork bottle of jewel shards. "Kagome!" Miroku and Sango raced to her rescue, but the tentacles quickly retreated.

"The jewel shards!" Kagome exclaimed, watching helplessly as they were taken away.

"Now for you," Naraku said and Yuuki tensed as the tentacles shot for her next. Swinging her rosary, she tried to fight them back, but was quickly overwhelmed. She stumbled back and her yelp was strangled as they wrapped around her throat. Her friends shouted her name as she was lifted into the air. Yuuki struggled to keep her glare on him, unable to move as they strangled her body. They tightened and she shut her eyes tight, opening her mouth in a silent scream. "Ah, yes," Naraku brought her closer to inspect her face as it quickly turned red. She could barely hear a growl from him, " _This_ is the expression I've wanted to see again."

 _You sick bastard_ , she thought weakly. Her blood circulation to her head was cut off; she couldn't breathe and in her panic dropped her rosary. She thought her neck was going to snap, body ripped apart- but then was suddenly released. She fell onto the ground hard, coughing viciously.

"Was that a sacred arrow?" Kagome questioned.

Yuuki struggled to see for a moment, but she tried looking around frantically, holding her throat as she l coughed. She followed her friends' gazes down the tunnel and from the darkness three more arrows soared by them, forcing Naraku's tentacles to retreat. "Kikyo," Inuyasha mumbled- there was no mistaking it.

Kagome knelt to Yuuki's side, helping her up as Kikyo emerged from the darkness, staring Naraku down. "You, too, Kikyo?" Naraku questioned.

"I just came to finish the job," Kikyo replied.

Naraku glared at her. "Foolish one. In that case, I'll kill you, too. Or perhaps I'll absorb whatever body you have now." The thought made him smirk.

Kikyo knocked back an arrow and fired at Naraku. The power was overwhelming- the arrow veered off and caught him in the side, but a massive hole was blown from him still. " _Kikyo!_ " Naraku shouted in fury. His tentacles swooped down and slammed her into the cave wall, causing her to shout in pain.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha exclaimed in worry.

Kagome was distracted by them, watching in worry as Inuyasha jumped to Kikyo's rescue. Yuuki then pulled away from her and she gasped in surprise. Looking back, she witnessed Yuuki run fast and low towards the distracted Naraku. With a clap of her hands, her fallen rosary glowed and fired a Bullet Storm, bombarding him as she lunged at him.

Her body became incased in white flames of her Seishin as she grabbed onto Naraku. Voice damaged and cracking, she managed to hoarsely scream, " _Purify!_ "

White light and overwhelming holy power engulfed the both of them. Her friends called out her name, and the cave began to rumble as Naraku roared in pain. The shaking of the cave only became worse as the demonic and holy energies clashed and exploded, throwing Yuuki back. As she flew, Kagome gasped, "The shards!"

They were tightly within her grasp. Inuyasha leapt forward and caught her in time, quickly tossing her over his shoulder like a sack. "The cave's coming down!" Sango shouted over the rumble.

Kagome was the first to help Kikyo up as Inuyasha looked back after Naraku. Whatever was left of him was melting away, but not without miasma seeping out. "Let's go!" He shouted, running after the group that was already heading out.

He deftly made his way to the front, following the scent of sea water to lead them out. The cave was crumbling down as they ran, Shippo crying out in fear, "We're not gonna make it!"

Racing towards the exit, rocks were coming down and closing it off. "Sango!" He shouted and moved to the side.

On command she used her might to throw her Hiraikotsu, blasting open the exit and everyone ran, taking a leap of faith down the mountainside as it collapsed. Inuyasha easily landed on his feet, sliding down along with Miroku. Sango and Kagome did their best with Kikyo between them, and Shippo tumbled.

Finding level ground within the forest, everyone was able to come to a stop and relax. Looking back, they witnessed the side of the mountain cave in, creating an almost crescent like peak. While the humans were panting, Shippo was the first to speak, "So... what happened? Is Naraku dead...?"

"His presence..." Everyone was quick to turn to Kikyo as she spoke. Kagome was still helping her up, but Kikyo got her footing and moved away from her. "His presence is missing. It became engulfed in the Seishin and disappeared."

"Does that mean he's dead then?" Kagome questioned again.

Kikyo looked over to Inuyasha. "Only she would really know that."

"Huh?" He glanced over at Yuuki still draped over his shoulder. "She's out cold."

Sango looked over at Miroku and questioned, "Miroku... how's your hand?"

He sighed at the mention of it, and looked down at the cloth covering it. "I don't feel a change. I'm almost afraid to check it."

"It would be the best way to tell," Sango said gently. "If Naraku's truly dead, then the curse should be lifted, isn't that right?"

He was silent for a moment, staring at his hand. Then he dropped it and smiled at her, "We'll wait for Yuuki to come to. We need to figure out what happened in that blast.

Kikyo watched the group for a moment, silent on the side as Inuyasha gently set Yuuki down and Kagome hurried to check on her. "Her neck is seriously bruised. It'll take a while for that to heal."

"Yeah... Who knows when she'll wake up. That was a lot of energy she used." Inuyasha glanced up, and then perked up, realizing Kikyo was leaving. "Kikyo, wait!" He got to his feet and she glanced back at him. "What are you going to do now? If Naraku's dead..."

"Dead or not, there's still the task of restoring the Shikon no Tama," she replied. "If Naraku has perished, there will no doubt be another demon ready to take his place. Farewell." With that she disappeared into the forest.

There was a moment of a rather tense silence. Miroku was the first to break it, "Even if Yuuki's still unconscious, we should hurry back to the fisherman, _if_ he's still waiting for us."

Sango added, "He's right, we need to get back to Kaede's Village as soon as possible."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, "Could you carry Yuuki?"

"Yeah, yeah." Walking up, he heaved her up carelessly and tossed her over his shoulder again.

" _Not_ like a sack of rice!"

Thankfully the fisherman was still waiting for them at the shore. In fact he seemed wildly unbothered by the whole commotion. Loading into the boat, they tried to prop Yuuki's body up, Kagome holding her. She frowned at her friend, "It's concerning how weak she seems to be. It's hard to tell if she's even breathing."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Sango assured. "She's not used to exerting so much energy-" she then started coughing.

"Sango?" Miorku was suddenly alert as she kept coughing into her sleeve.

"I-I'm fine." She smiled weakly, "I wasn't feeling like myself for a little bit. I'm afraid I've caught Kagome's cold from earlier."

Kagome hummed with a frown, "We might as well find a place to stay at the village. We can't get far without Kirara if Yuuki's going to be sleeping like this."

Inuyasha sighed irritably. "We have no choice then, dammit." He frowned at her.

* * *

Yuuki sighed irritably as she wandered through a forest. "Dammit..." Her footsteps made no sound. She felt nothing as branches and such passed by her. Stopping and looking down at her body, it was obvious she was astral projecting. She wasn't entirely sure what happened during the fight with Naraku, but next thing she knew it was nighttime on Asagiri Island and her soul was forced from her body.

"Is anyone even still on this island?" She questioned aloud to herself, continuing on through the woods.

She's witnessed the mountain, the massive cave in that happened. After checking around, there was no sign that her friends had been caught. Checking the beach, there was no boat. Wandering the island, her spirit felt light and free, but she didn't want to attempt crossing the ocean still.

She came to a stop, sighing again, though no air passed into her. "Kinya must still be forcing me away if I didn't appear to her." _I wonder how much energy she's using to do so, though..._ The thought left her feeling anxious.

Looking around the black forest, she couldn't see or hear anything sounding like her friends. Just the ocean and various creatures of the night. _Hopefully they were all able to get back to the village..._ She looked up at the tree canopy.

"... I wonder..."

She attempted a jump. Gravity felt nonexistent to her as her spirit floated up, hovering slightly then slowly drifting down like a deflating balloon. Reaching up towards the night sky, she kicked her legs as if swimming to force herself up, and slowly did her spirit obey her will. Gaining momentum she floated up well above the tree line. Making a nervous sound, she tried to stop herself, using swimming motions to keep to a hover. Though she didn't use any physical effort, she still sighed in satisfaction.

Looking around, she was amazed. "Wow, it's beautiful..." No lights, no pollution, the night sky was so clear she could see the colors of the galaxy. Purples lightly mingling with all the stars and creating a great streak across the sky, the large moon reflecting off the black water of the sea.

Drifting in the air, Yuuki looked sad as she gazed out. _I might really miss this once it's time to go home..._ It made her chest feel heavy, even in spirit form. _I don't have a choice, though._ Between risking Kinya's life, constantly fighting Utsugi for her soul, and the inevitable curse of the Dai Saishi no Tama befalling her, she _had_ to go home.

"I'm sure going to miss them all..."

Looking at the horizon again, she perked up. "Oh, a shooting star." It was a bright white light soaring through the sky, racing towards her. She enjoyed watching for a moment, debating making a wish. Then face fell, quickly realizing it was racing towards _her_. "Uh oh."

Frantically she swung her limbs to try to get out of the way, sensing a powerful energy flying towards her. It was strong enough that she panicked, thinking it would actually do damage to her if it crashed into her spirit.

"No, no, no, no, no, no-! _Waaa!_ " She had slowly drifted away far enough to avoid collision, but it was such a narrow miss that the demonic energies surging from the ball of light sent her spirit tumbling. She cried out in fear and panic as she rolled uselessly, waving her arms around frantically to try and come to a halt.

Eventually stopping her momentum, she sighed in immense relief as she hung upside down and drifting. _What in the world could_ that _have been?_ It felt so great that is scared her- a meteor of demonic energy- but it wasn't sinister or evil like Naraku's for sure. Looking around the mountain frantically, she spotted the white light settling on the destroyed half of the mountain.

Having nothing else to do, she spun and righted herself. Reaching out, she kicked her legs and floated down over to the energy source. After gaining great momentum, flying down quickly, she quickly stuck her legs out and forced herself to break, digging her heels into the air.

She then gaped, blinking in surprise. " _Sesshomaru?_ "

Seeing the great dog demon in white was almost as unbelievable as seeing the scenery. Of course he didn't have a glow to him, but the power she sensed from him was so _intense_. She had sensed his power before in her human body, but without her body felt like without a filter. She felt his power head on, and it felt like an hurricane baring down on her with some earthquake undertones.

She stared at him in awe, _amazing_...

The demon was looking around the mountain side, Yuuki drifting around him and watching as his nose twitched lightly. _He must have followed Naraku's scent here. Could he smell our scents around the place?_ She wasn't sure if their scents were as strong as Naraku's.

Yuuki sucked in a great breath.

Sesshomaru had finally caught wind of Naraku. It was faint and it was brief, but the second he found it he left Jaken behind with Rin and took flight. Reaching the island, he felt as if he passed through a barrier. What was a faint trail of Naraku's stench suddenly transformed into the smell of wisteria flowers, so intense it was as if the flowers were forcefully shoved up his nose.

 _Yuuki?_

Landing on the mountain, he tried to calm down. The assault was so strong it actually caught him off guard. _No... Her scent. She was here._ Looking around, it was clear a fight had transpired, the cause of the current state of the mountain. He sniffed the air, trying to filter out the wisteria flowers for Naraku's scent once again. It took great effort on his part, but one by one he identified the scents of Inuyasha and his friends. Graveyard soil- perhaps that dead priestess Kikyo. They were all here, but while their scents were lingering, Naraku's was ever fading still.

He stared at the mountain. _What happened here? Naraku's trail ends here, and yet..._

 _Sesshomaru!_

Sesshomaru's head snapped to the right. _Distinctly_ \- a voice in his ear. It was faint and far away, but he heard his name. _That voice..._

"Oh-" Yuuki froze up, suddenly panicked as Sesshomaru looked her dead in the eye. _H-he heard that!?_ She held her nonexistent breath for a few beats, and then Sesshomaru glanced around. She suddenly deflated, floating over to him. _Guess he just heard, he can't see me._ He walked forward and she floated around him, hovering over his left shoulder as he looked to his right. Looking to his left, she waved a hand in front of his face, yet no reaction.

"Yuuki..."

She gasped and floated back in shock. _He knew it was me?_ Floating around him, no, she figured there was no way for him to be certain. _Still, he's scary accurate,_ she thought as he walked off and she floated after him.

Sesshomaru came to a stop and looked around his feet. Hands behind her back, she floated over him and watched as he inspected the ground. He dug through the rubble with his clawed hand and pulled out a- "My talisman! Oop-" she quickly covered her mouth.

Sesshomaru didn't respond as he inspected the wooden circular talisman, a faint engraving of a three leafed plant atop a wreath. Rubbing his thumb over it, he could tell it was a very old and poorly kempt. _This is Yuuki's_ , he realized, her scent all over it. No, more than that. Tightening his grip on it, he felt it. _Her energy_. There were small holes around the edge of the talisman, perhaps tassels once hung from it.

That wasn't the only source of her scent however. Yuuki could only watched as he walked back towards the mountain with her talisman, tucking it in his kimono beneath his armor. _Well, I guess it's in safe hands._

Facing off with the rubble of the mountain, he raised two fingers and they shone with green poison. Yuuki hovered next to him and watched in surprised as his poison whip lashed at the mountain, exploding and melting the rocks. She wondered what he was searching for- Naraku's remains? It took Sesshomaru quite a few swings to reach deep enough into the mountain. Once he finished, he went in and once again dug around. He then retrieved a single bead, green as the sea floor seen from the surface. Inspecting it closer, a ying and yang forged inside. The craftsmanship was admirable, considering it was human make.

Yuuki hovered over him and exclaimed, "My rosary!" She was disheartened, _both_ of her weapons were left behind on the island! She sighed, crossing her arms. "It could be worse, I suppose... At least Sesshomaru found them..."

However it was only _one_ bead. If Sesshomaru had arrived much sooner, none of this would have had to happen the way it did. Sesshomaru stood with the bead, and Yuuki floated close next to him. She reached out for the bead, and it shone in response. Hovering her hands close, Sesshomaru's eyes widened as the bead acted on its own.

Summoning the rosary to return to her, the beads shot forth from the rubble, flying up and coming for Sesshomaru. He refused to budged as he tensed, yet as they neared they slowed, forming together again and hanging limp from his clawed hand.

He stared down at the rosary in his hand for a moment. Then ever so slightly the corners of his mouth twitched up, "I see. You're here." It was a small smile- not so much happy as it was silently laughing. Probably at himself.

Yuuki sighed as she drifted curled up in front of him. "If only you could see or hear me." She then reached out on a whim and passed her hand through his- and he closed his hand around the rosary, distinctly feeling the shiver from his hand up his arm.

"Your spirit is here, which means one of two things." Looking around the mountain he spoke aloud, "I do not smell blood nor the decay of flesh. Which means whatever fight that transpired here you survived."

"Barely I suppose," she replied, sitting seiza style in the air next to him. She then pouted lightly, "If you were here then that wouldn't have been a problem..."

Sesshomaru's smile fell away, closing his eyes as he tucked her rosary away as well. "Foolish. The battle appears hard fought. Had you waited for me it would not have been so."

" _You_ were late!" She snapped at him- she'd be blushing from frustration if she had the blood for it.

Faintly- ever so he could hear her voice again. His eyes snapped over to hers and she froze up again- startled. He smiled again- the small one that was a silent laugh. She gasped- and would be blushing harder if she could. "You _can_ hear me! Can you see me?"

"Your voice is faint," he said to her, his eyes wandering slightly. She sighed, _guess he can't._ "Manifesting your spirit into the physical realm is strenuous. Knowing you're astral projecting, you will be weak for a few days." His smile disappeared again. "You're a human, keep that in mind. Return to your body."

"I would if I could."

"When we meet again, I shall return your items to you." He turned away from her and added, "And you will tell me what transpired here."

She sighed, floating around him. "Yes, all right..."

She inspected his face for a moment as he stared out at the ocean. He then turned and looked her again in the eye, making her tense. _He's so scary accurate_...

"Come to me, Yuuki."

A breeze passed through her. She stared, her eyes wide. Had she had a heart at that moment, she'd be sure it would have skipped a beat at that slight smile he had.

Suddenly his energy built and her spirit was forced back. She cried out slightly as she was blown back. He was encased with white once more as he flew away across the sky. And so she was left alone, drifting slowly as she stared after him.

After swallowing, she forced herself to calm down. Looking up at the crescent moon in the sky she smiled faintly to herself. "Guess now I wait."

And she waited a long time, left with her own thoughts, until the sun began to rise again when she felt the pull, and she was thrown back into her body.

* * *

"Hey... hey, she's waking up! Kagome! Sango!" That was Shippo's voice...

Then Sango's, "Her eyes are twitching. She's stirring."

"Yuuki?" Kagome asked. "Yuuki, can you hear me?"

Yuuki groaned, her eyes screwed shut. She felt like she was hit by a bullet train. Her throat ached something fierce, her body dully throbbed in several places, and she was _exhausted_. All night she had no real rest thanks to being out of her body. _I'm so tired of living_ , she thought weakly.

Still she forced her eyes open, and slowly the blurriness came into focus. Kagome, Sango, and Shippo were all hovering above her and smiling. Weakly Yuuki smiled back, but then heard Inuyasha's voice. "It's about time. For crying out loud it's like you died or something."

Her smile fell away. "I hate you..." Her voice was terribly hoarse and weak.

Kagome frowned over at him, "Would ya knock it off? Quit antagonizing her!"

" _She's_ the one being dramatic," he snapped back.

"She _did_ just wake up, Inuyasha," Miroku said in her defense.

"Everyone's on her side."

"You're not always in the right," Sango quipped back.

Having enough of the conversation, Yuuki attempted to sit up. "Careful!" Shippo readied to catch her, "Your wounds haven't even started healing!"

"I'll be fine," she replied quietly and managed to sit up. She then looked around confused, "Where are we?"

"We're at the fisherman's house," Kagome replied happily. "He was kind enough to let us stay for the night."

"For a fee," Inuyasha grumbled to himself.

Sango smiled at Yuuki, "He's actually being less grumpy since you woke up just now."

"Just cause we're waitin' on her!"

Yuuki scoffed a laugh to herself, he always had to be such a tough guy. "Yuuki?" She looked down at Shippo and she asked, "What happened to you back in the cave?"

"Huh?" She blinked at her friends and they all seemed apprehensive. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"You had a close encounter with Naraku," Kagome explained. "Your powers exploded and we couldn't see anything. Then the mountain was collapsing so we had to quickly get out."

"We didn't get a good look at Naraku's body," Inuyasha added and she looked over at him. "We've been waiting for you to tell us if he's really dead or not."

"Oh..." Yuuki stared off as she tried to think back. It was hazy for her, and she looked over at Miroku confused. "But wait, couldn't we check Miroku's Wind Tunnel?"

As everyone glanced at him, Sango looked sympathetic as Miroku smiled bitterly down at his covered hand. "I must admit, I'm a bit cowardly to check. My hopes are rising, despite the fact I sense no real change."

Yuuki sighed out her nose. Accepting that, she thought harder. Closing her eyes, she tried to look back, but everything was... white. "I had him... in my grasp." Everyone stared at her as she kept her eyes shut. A bead of sweat formed on her cheek as she remembered, "my hands... I sensed him so close and clearly, but as the Seishin became overwhelming he... faded." Looking down at her hands, she slowly closed her palms. "He didn't slip away, he just... disappeared." _Even Sesshomaru said he didn't smell a corpse._ She frowned at her friends, "I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say. I held onto whatever was left with all my might, worried he'd get away."

"I see," Sango mused to herself.

"Well, good thing you did," Kagome smiled. "You managed to get the jewel shards back. We have those at least."

"That's right!" Shippo piped up happily. "Not only that, but we have Sango's brother, too!"

"That's right," Miroku smiled at them, "We need to hurry back to Kaede's Village and see how he's doing. If Naraku truly did die, then his bond to Kohaku would be severed."

Yuuki smiled at Sango as well, but then realized she was tense. "We don't have to rush, I'm sure he's still in a daze. We need to make sure Yuuki's all right first."

"Sango, I'm fine." Sango looked to her worried, but she smiled. "Trust me, it looks worse than it feels." She hoped she was a good liar. "I honestly want to hurry back to Kaede's as well."

"That's the spirit." Inuyasha shoved himself up onto his feet and smirked. "Let's head back. I'm tired of waiting around wastin' daylight."

The group packed up their belongings, and Yuuki waited outside for them to finish, staring after where Sesshomaru flew off too, memorizing the path. _The sooner we're on the road, the sooner I'll run into Sesshomaru again._

 _"Come to me, Yuuki."_


	14. Journey Alone

Yuuki quickly realized she made a grave mistake when she agreed to leave Shiyosai Village immediately.

She managed to stay on her feet for a couple hours with minimal limping until she collapsed. Now she was riding Inuyasha's back and the rest of them laughed while the two of them hated it. "You're such a pampered brat."

"I'm _injured_ , you lousy dog."

He grinned back at her annoyed. "If anyone's lousy it's the one needing to be carried, wouldn't ya say?"

Instantly Yuuki turned red, from anger and because he wasn't wrong. She forced her own angry smile that ended up twitching. "You know, I could very well use my Seishin powers to obliterate your half-demon self, you mutt."

A tick mark throbbed on his head as his malicious grin grew. "Oh, you mean the spiritual powers you _don't_ have right now cause you _wasted_ it all, you two-bit priestess?"

Despite smiling, Kagome sweat dropped at the two of them. The man she loved and her best friend, she was glad that they got along in their own way. She supposed it was proof that their friendship would be long lasting. Sango smiled at her and Miroku, "At least they're not screaming at each other."

Miroku pointed out, "True, yet Yuuki doesn't exactly have the voice for it at the moment anyways."

Shippo jumped up onto his shoulder and said, "At least this all shows Inuyasha has _some_ sort of courtesy." Sango choked back a laugh at that.

In the meantime the fiery battle aura between the two of them only grew and engulfed them, distorting the image of Inuyasha walking calmly and carrying the limp Yuuki on his back. "You talk a lot of game for someone that can't even _stand_."

As the two of them smiled, it was dangerous. Tick marks popping up left and right around them. "Coming from the guy that couldn't even land _one_ decisive blow on Naraku."

"Maybe if _someone_ wasn't in my way."

"It's called being _faster_ , slow-witted mongrel."

"It's _luck_ for a helpless half-baked priestess such as yourself."

Seeing the intensity build, all their friends shifted away while feeling relief that Yuuki was too weak for Inuyasha to start a real fight. That continued on for the better half of the day until they found a spot to make camp. Yuuki was useless as she laid on the ground, leaving it to the others to prepare everything. She sighed, staring up at the sky. It would be a few days until they returned to the village at their pace, and she really was to blame for it. Without Kirara there it was hard to keep a steady pace.

So she meditated until dinner, and they all ate cooked bird while they played Old Maid with Kagome's cards and discussed what they would do once they were finally back.

Yuuki was quiet, though, stuck in her own head. When questioned about it, she would smile and pass it off for exhaustion. Which was almost _entirely_ true. However when it came time for sleep, Yuuki found it impossible. She stared at the sky thinking. Thinking too much. The more she thought the more unsettled she felt.

 _"When we meet again, I shall return your items to you."_ Sesshomaru had said to her on Asagiri Island. _"And you will tell me what transpired here."_

 _But what do I say to him? Utsugi_ was _there on the island, but she disappeared. There was no jewel shard, no_ corpse _even._ Naraku had simply vanished, and so did his demonic energy. She sighed, closing her eyes. _It's not like he managed to escape, everyone would have seen that, hell, there'd be a trail even... but where are Utsugi and the jewel shard? Perhaps Utsugi was the one to steal it away... no, they had a deal together. Then again, Naraku was more than willing to swallow me up for the Dai Saishi no Tama... unless there was a betrayal?_ She shook her head, rolling it on the dirt. _Naraku's not stupid enough let himself be subjected to a betrayal, even if Kagura tried. She got swallowed up in the end._

She kept her groan in her head as she pinched her eyes. _This is stupid, I'm going in circles! Unless..._ Relaxing again she released another sigh. _Unless everything was one big ploy... Kagura, Kohaku... unless everything was a set up._

If that were the case, why be so elaborate? Why go so far? Was it just for them? Who would be Naraku's target for this whole scheme?

And so Yuuki had another sleepless night.

In fact she was so exhausted she ended up sleeping the next couple days, Inuyasha forced to carry her some more since no one trusted Miroku to. Yuuki's spirit thankfully remained in her body and she was able to properly recuperate herself.

Yuuki woke up, was able to walk on her own, and they arrived at the village. Once they did, Yuuki set up a futon in Kaede's hut and went back to sleep for a couple more days.

* * *

There was the sounds of frantic horses hooves, wagon wheels turning and jumping, men shouting, women calling and giggling, and children screaming gleefully.

Yuuki slowly opened her eyes, feeling well rested for once in a long while. She glanced around Kaede's hut, but only her friends belongings were there. Slowly she sat upright and looked down at herself- dressed in plain sleeping robes. _Kagome or Sango dressed me_. She wondered how long she was out for, not even remembering the journey back. Rolling up the sleeves, the marks that were left by Naraku's tendrils strangling her body were fading away. Surely her neck would take a bit longer, but lightly touching it, it felt well enough.

 _"Ah, yes,"_ Naraku's face was crystal clear in her mind, so close, the look of... a _dangerous_ lust in his red eyes, and the desire of killing her slowly emanating off him. _"_ This _is the expression I've wanted to see again."_

Yuuki winced, hand twitching away from her throat. _Naraku..._ She smiled bitterly to herself. _He scared me. Twice now._

She leaned forward, resting her arm on her knee. Taking a slow breath to calm herself, she exhaled, "Utsugi..." Whatever had happened to Naraku was a mystery. However she felt certain that Utsugi was the catalyst for keeping her in the Feudal Era. Her true obstacle to defeat. She may have Naraku's jewel shard, Yuuki may be without her weapons, but she'd be damned if she were to fail now. Her hand tightened into a fist, "I will find you."

After gathering herself and dressing in her uniform, she pushed the straw door out of the way and squinted at the harsh sunlight. Once she was able to see, she blinked in surprise at all the commotion going on.

So many villagers were running around, horses pulling wagons _full_ of vegetables from the fields and game from the forest. Children were running around wearing colorful yukatas and the women were carrying dishware and decorations.

Yuuki stood there dumbly, watching everyone bustling about as if it were a city. "Yuuki!"

Snapping out of it, she looked over and realized Kagome was rushing towards her. Her relief was evident in her smile, "You're finally awake, we were getting worried. Especially Inuyasha, though he'd never admit it."

"I-I'm sure." She glanced down, noticing a pretty purple cloth in her arms. "Um, what's going on around here exactly?"

"A festival!" Together they looked around, witnessing everyone happily prepare. "When we arrived, Sango said Kohaku seemed to be his usual self, though he was still dizzy and weak, and his memory is still hazy. Miroku then decided to check his Wind Tunnel. He says he could still feel it, but it was gone."

"G-gone?" Yuuki stared at her bewildered. "So, what does that mean for the both of them?"

"Well, Miroku is gathering some things and planning to head back to his temple," she replied. "He was raised by a monk named Mushin who helps him with his Wind Tunnel, so he hopes he can get a solid confirmation and feel better about accepting. Sango's been staying by Kohaku's side, and once he's recuperated they'll head back to their village to tend to things. But before that, we're having a celebration of our victory!"

 _Victory_... After a hesitation Yuuki forced a smile, "That's great. Is that your kimono?"

"Oh, look!" She held out the purple and yellow yukata and smiled happily, "It's Kaede's from when she was younger, she said I could borrow it! I'm sure we can find one for you somewhere."

"Oh, I'm not too concerned," Yuuki quickly assured. "Uhm, so, what about Inuyasha?"

"Oh, he's been the happiest I've seen him in a while. Come on, see for yourself!" Snagging her hand, Kagome dragged her around the busy streets.

They neared the sound of wood being chopped frantically, and Yuuki was stunned to see Inuyasha using his giant, magical, heirloom, demon fang of a sword to _chop wood_. She stared dumbly, having no words as he hacked away like a machine- a happy machine. The wood split and went flying and a couple of village kids were helping him set up log after log.

"Keep 'em comin'! We got another batch ready!" He shouted, happy to be doing manual labor for once.

Once Yuuki could find her voice she questioned, "A-are we... having a bonfire...?"

"Yep, and Inuyasha wants to make it a giant one. We'll be using it to cook everything that the village has gotten together," Kagome explained. Then she became distracted, "Oh, Kaede! Yuuki," she placed a hand on her arm, "hang out for a little bit, I'm going to try to find a yukata for you, too!"

Yuuki then watched as Kagome ran off into the crowds. She stood frozen for a moment as her friend disappeared. Looking to Inuyasha, neither he nor the village children noticed her. She then looked around her, all of the villagers focused on their tasks and charging on, paying no mind to her. Everyone was so happy and carefree. _It's uncomfortable_ , she thought.

She was the only one _not_ happy, anxious and skeptical as to what was really going on.

Deciding she was too out of place, she walked away. Wandering through the streets, she managed to hear Shippo over the noise. Looking over, she spotted him instructing the village children on how to help prepare for the festival. The kids seemed to look up to him, it made Yuuki smile.

She then happened to catch his eye. He perked up, "Yuuki!" Jumping off the fence post he was standing on, she stopped and waited as he hopped over to her, deftly dodging wagons and people. Reaching her, when he looked up his smile fell away to worry as he eyed at her neck. "Are you feeling better? You were sleeping for a long time."

Kneeling to his level, she smiled, "Thank you, Shippo, I'm fine." She then glanced him over- he must've been playing for a while cause he was filthy. She then asked, "So, are you going to clean up before the party tonight?"

He froze up.

She cocked an eyebrow, giving him a look. "All the adults are going to be clean for the occasion. You want to be like an adult, don't you?"

"Like an adult?" He questioned, and then stood proud. "I _am_ an adult!"

"Good," she stood up and winked at him. "Don't forget to get behind your ears." As he slumped in defeat, she lifted a hand and added, "Don't forget to advise the other children the same thing," then walked off.

Weaving through the crowds and making it to the village edge, she decided to head towards the Bone Eater's Well. _Even if Utsugi is my catalyst, it doesn't hurt to try._ Making her way through the woods, once she made it to the well she leaned against it and peered down below. She remembered when Inuyasha pushed her down- his way of helping, and Kinya's voice in her mind. She realized how long ago it had been. _About a month or so, right?_ She stared at the barren well floor, and then pushed off, glancing over her shoulder at the village. _It wouldn't be appreciated if I suddenly disappeared before a celebration._

With that in mind, she decided to wander the forest, not wanting to return quite yet while she was still in her own head. Bringing a hand to her chin she thought, _perhaps I was over thinking things before? If Kohaku came back and Miroku's Wind Tunnel is gone..._

"Ah, I see..." Yuuki stopped short, hearing a voice. _Kaede?_ She strained her ears and listened, "That matches what Kagome had said. Then what of the Shikon no Tama shard?"

Yuuki glanced up, noticing the Sacred Tree of Kagome's home shrine looming over the trees in front of her. _Kaede's at the Sacred Tree?_

Yuuki decided to get closer, careful of her footsteps as she heard Kikyo's voice, "A collaborator of Naraku's whisked away the shard at his will. Whether she's acting as his pawn or his partner, I am unsure."

Yuuki stopped behind a tree, having caught a glimpse of the two beneath the sacred tree. Pressing her back against the trunk she listened as Kaede asked, "And do ye know of the collaborator, sister?"

Yuuki's eyes widened, _sister? Kaede_ _had to be about sixty, yet_ , Yuuki glared at the ground thoughtfully, _Inuyasha was sealed away for fifty years?_ Odd pieces were coming together for her.

"A priestess named Utsugi, a Seishin Master."

"Utsugi," Kaede mused, "Aye... Yuuki mentioned the name before, yet it is foggy to me."

"I believe there's a certain spell cast around her," Kikyo replied, and a bead of sweat built on Yuuki's cheek. Would she overhear important information? "Her origins are unknown, even to me, and yet I felt as if I heard the name before... There was another name you mentioned, wasn't there, Kaede? A man."

"Related to Utsugi? Hmm..." Yuuki held her breath. "I cannot say for certain. Yuuki mentioned before a man that taught her techniques of the Seishin, named _Kakuju_ I believe."

"Kakuju... Is that correct, Yuuki?"

Yuuki jumped slightly at her name. _Shit_ , she swallowed, quickly calming her heart. After a breath she stepped out from behind her hiding place, meeting with the unsmiling Kikyo and the surprised Kaede.

"Yuuki, how long were ye there for?" Kaede asked.

"Long enough, I suppose," she replied, walking towards them. Looking to Kikyo she asked, "Did you see me?"

"I can sense more than the kehai of the Shikon no Tama," she replied, her eyes oddly sharp on her. "Tell us, is it Kakuju?"

"Well, yes, Kakuju is the old man that taught me what I know," she replied, but quickly added, "Yet I've mentioned Utsugi to him before, he didn't give me any sign that he knew her."

"Were you looking hard enough?"

Yuuki hesitated. Why did it feel like she was on trial? What was _Kikyo_ trying to figure out? Feeling like she was caught, she struggled a reply, "I-I don't know... But I believe if Kakuju knew anything he would tell me. He's only helped me since I showed up in this world." Kikyo continued to stare at her- her eyes told her that she didn't believe her. Yuuki suddenly became defensive- defensive of Kakuju. "He's the one that taught me the Seishin, he's the one that gave me my weapons and even helped me keep my soul within my body."

Kikyo's eyes narrowed slightly, "Soul within your body, you say...?" Yuuki tensed. _Kikyo's not an enemy, but she's not a friend either_ , she reminded herself. Instead of giving anything else away, she kept quiet. That was fine for Kikyo, and when she closed her eyes in acceptance she seemed to relax. "I see, your being in this time is more strenuous than I originally thought." Looking at her again she said, "Your solutions lie with Utsugi. However, you have been unable to defeat her before, and now that she is in possession of Naraku's half of the shard, it will be all the more difficult."

"Yeah, I could figure." Yuuki looked to the ground, thinking over her options. _I need my weapons from Sesshomaru... I need to act quickly- I need to act_ now _._

And yet the village was happy, preparing for a party. Her friends were happy, finally having something like peace in their lives. They were disbanding to pursue their own goals. Shoulders lowering, Yuuki closed her eyes in acceptance. _This problem is mine and mine alone now._

If she couldn't defeat Utsugi on her own, then how could she even hope to return home?

Kaede noticed the change in her demeanor. Worried she asked, "Yuuki?" When Yuuki looked at her- the light lavender of her eyes piercing, Kaede gave up on her advice. With a sad smile she said, "I understand. Is there anything ye need, child?"

"I can pack up and prepare on my own," she replied. Making her own sad smile she said, "If there's one thing I could ask, perhaps get Inuyasha intoxicated? Whenever I wander off on my own he's quick about herding me back."

Kikyo made a small sound, quickly turning her head away. Yuuki blinked at her, "Kikyo?"

"I can see he hasn't changed." She then added under her breath, "And yet he has." With that she walked away.

As Kikyo disappeared into the forest, Yuuki and Kaede watched her go. Kaede then looked to her and said, "Come, child. Kagome wishes a yukata for ye. At least enjoy some of the party before departing."

Yuuki smiled back gratefully. "All right."

They walked back to the village together, and that's when Kagome stumbled upon them, happy as ever to show off the yukata she found for Yuuki. Accepting the temporary happiness, Yuuki was able to smile and go along with the victory festival. Once the sun set, the villagers built a massive bonfire and fired up various dishes that everyone gorged on. Barrels of sake were brought out and everyone sat together in large groups, Yuuki and her friends being one with Kohaku and Kaede. Even Kirara got to dine on some meat and fish.

Miroku got tipsy early, and challenged Inuyasha to a drinking match, which plenty of people got in on with bets. After chugging and Miroku falling back, Inuyasha declared victory, even though he lost his wits long ago.

Although both Sango and Kagome were sober for that exact reason, Yuuki glanced around and noticed that their attention was on their partners. Yuuki smiled to herself, _partners_. They weren't couples, but Yuuki was quickly realizing how dumb you'd have to be to not notice their mutually expressed feelings.

Then Yuuki's smile fell away, looking down at her small cup of sake. _I feel... lonely_. They were her friends and it was a celebration, yet there was a partnership between everyone else. Well, if anyone was her partner for the occasion it would be Shippo, yet he was busy showing off his tricks to the drunken villagers. Yuuki felt weight on herself, knowing she was the only one not very happy.

After taking her drink, she sighed in satisfaction and glanced at Kaede. The old priestess nodded to her discreetly. Taking an opportunity, Yuuki snuck off unnoticed.

Stripping of her yukata, she put her school uniform back on. Using her backpack, it was still filled with her school supplies. Sighing, she couldn't leave them behind, just in case. Still she managed to pack away a blanket and some first aid from Kagome's bag, as well as a hairbrush. _She's my friend, she'll forgive me._ Taking some money from Miroku's pack and dried rations from Kaede's stock, she finally shouldered her bag and snuck back out. She smiled over at the bonfire, hearing everyone's loud talking and laughs. _Everyone has their own tasks and are settling it on their own. It's only natural I do the same._

She then noticed Kaede approaching her. "Here, child." She handed her a bundled up package wrapped with large leaves and string. "Food from the festival. It will last ye a short while." Accepting it, Kaede then looked over concerned. "Yuuki, where is your weapon?"

"It's all right," she assured with a smile. "Someone's keeping it safe for me, but I'll be getting it back. There's no need to worry."

"All right," having no other choice but to accept that, she nodded her head in farewell. "Safe travels."

"Thank you, Kaede." Bowing in return, she headed out, disappearing into the darkness of the forest as Kaede watched her leave.

* * *

Days she had been traveling to the southeast from Kaede's Village. Skipping roads, according to her mind's map, she took the direct route through the forests towards Sesshomaru. From Asagiri Island he flew to the northwest. Of course, assuming he didn't take a turn. It wasn't easy; lesser demons were appearing more frequently. Perhaps with the absence of Naraku they felt like they were safe. Without her weapons, she was left with only her Seishin powers, her best weapons her hands. Close combat, and if not fast enough a serious injury.

And ever since setting out on her journey alone, she hadn't been able to escape the damn rain.

Exhausted and slowly worn down by the weather, Yuuki collapsed beneath a tree, breathing hard. "Damn this..." Frustrated with her predicament, she pulled her backpack around and sifted through it. No umbrella- _still_ , no matter how many times she checked. She swallowed, feeling something off in her throat. It was thick and irritated.

Sighing, she pulled out whatever was left over from the festival food and unwrapped the small bundle- " _Achyoo!_ " She quickly turned away, and then paused from the pain the sneeze caused. " _Unngh..._ " She was shaking now, and her throat and nose felt worse. "Damn Kagome's cold..."

She gave up on food, it never felt right when she ate while sick. Tucking it away again, she hugged herself as tight as she could, coughing lightly. Taking out her blanket now would only get it soaked.

 _"Come to me, Yuuki."_

She glowered. The more she rethought the memory, the more twisted it was becoming. Instead of whatever smile she saw, it turned into a look of annoyance from him. _"Come to me, Yuuki. I cannot be bothered to find you."_

 _They're_ my _weapons,_ she thought bitterly, body trembling from the cold. _If he planned on giving them back why doesn't he come to me? It should be easier for him to find me than me find him._

 _"You come to me, girl._ If _you want your weapons back."_ Again the memory twisted again with worse hidden messages. Instead a smile a sneer.

 _It's not like he can use them anyway. What would he gain from keeping hold of them instead of just handing them over?_ She closed her eyes, the exhaustion weighing on her. _"I'll give your weapons back in exchange for information about what happened here."_

 _That can't be right_ , she thought. _I didn't think he was so bad, but Inuyasha did tell me he was a jackass._ They hated each other and she was always hanging with Inuyasha. Another thought was Sesshomaru simply wanted to avoid his little brother. _They're both stubborn idiots... must run in the family..._

As bad as it was to drift asleep outside in the rain, her sickness made her weak. She slumped back against the tree, face flushed and labored breath. Trembling, she tried to hold onto her backpack tight- since it was everything she owned. _I can't sleep now... I need to keep going, I need my weapons... I'm vulnerable..._

While her body went limp, her bag slipped from her arms, some of the contents spilling out. Food rations and a couple of books slowly became soggy from the onslaught of pouring rain.

...

...

...

The great sound of a tree twisting, breaking, crashing, through the hiss of rain.

Yuuki jumped awake, body breaking in a cold sweat of fear. Her wide lavender eyes honed on the falling trees, and forcing its way forward was an ogre. Yuuki's heart dropped, seeing the ten foot monster with russet skin, great black horns, and black eyes focusing on her.

 _Sango talked about ogres once._ Dumb and slow creatures that were powerful and devoured any flesh, even of its own kind.

She trembled still- both of fear and cold- and her light eyes glanced around the monster as it slowly made its way towards her. _It's limping_ , she realized, focusing on a wound on one of its calves. A clean gash that was still bleeding.

Stupid, slow, and injured. Her hand twitched as it wanted to reach for her missing rosary. _I could run and escape_ , she thought. _Abandon this path and double back towards Kasasagi Village._

 _"Your solutions lie with Utsugi,"_ Kikyo's words echoed in her head. _"However, you have been unable to defeat her before, and now that she is in possession of Naraku's half of the shard, it will be all the more difficult."_

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to her feet. _Utsugi beat me time and again without any weapons_. She flexed her fingers- they were slow to respond being nearly frozen. Her whole body was weak with her sickness. The ogre's massive steps shook the ground little by little as it approached. _If I'm going to beat her, I have to win_ every _battle before me!_

The ogre gave a great roar that shook her bones.

Her shaky mouth twisted into a smirk. _Well, shit.._. _I'm scared_.

She rushed forward towards the ogre as it swung its massive hand. Using the slick ground to her advantage, she slid down low and dodged, the mud splashing up on her legs. The massive black clawed hand passing over her head and whipping the air around her. Sliding passed the legs, she managed to get her footing again and readied her right hand. Just like Utsugi, she straightened her palm and aimed her nails. Summoning her Seishin she created a pointed blade around her hand. Rushing for the wound on the ogre's back leg, she followed the cut and severed the tendons even deeper, searing it with holy power.

The ogre reared back and roared in pain. It stumbled back and Yuuki scrambled to get out of the way. Carelessly it swung back in a blind attempt to strike her. Yuuki's iris' shrank in fear, feeling the power behind the arm as it closed in.

 _I'll die_.

Abandoning an attempt at footing, she leapt and narrowly dodged. However the force blasted the wind and sent her flying. She cried out, cut off short by slamming into a tree.

Slowly the ogre turned, stumbling terribly from the wound in his leg. Yuuki cringed, forcing herself to ignore the pain shooting through her body, the cold, the sickness, and instead turned all of that into fuel as she got to her feet. Inside, _yes_ , this was terrifying. Fighting demons before was easy because she had friends, she had back up; if she fell down someone else would be there to pick her back up. To protect her. Yet now she was alone.

She glared up at the demon with ferocity, "I... am _not..._ _losing!_ "

With a scream she ran forward, summoning her Seishin around her body. The ogre reached for her and she leapt into its grasp, reaching her hands forward. " _Purify!_ "

The ogre closed its fist around her holy light, and ended up losing the hand. After exploding in light and eradicating the hand, only a smoking stump was left, half charred and bleeding. It roared again- a slight shrill sound from the pain, and stumbled back. Putting weight on the injured leg its knees buckled and collapsed, and Yuuki took the opportunity to jump on top of it. With another scream she threw herself at the head, and buried her flaring hands into the eyes. Riding the ogre's face it roared and screamed and thrashed about, but she grit her teeth and refused to be thrown off, melting the eyes and burying her arms deep into the skull until she was to her shoulders in ogre blood.

Eventually the ogre stopped moving, and went limp. Panting heavily, she stayed as she was for a moment, her powers fading away. With her bare hands she could feel burnt chunks mixed with slime. She was too exhausted to feel disgusted. Slowly she dislodged herself and pulled her blood soaked arms out from the sockets. Kneeling on its face, she listlessly stared down at the damage she caused. _Too slow_ , was her only thought as she slowly got off. _Still too slow for her_...

Slipping off the head she nearly collapsed, stumbling towards her belongings that were carelessly on the ground. A voice nagged at her, and her vision became hazy. _"Ogres are dumb, but like any demon or beast, they know the importance of scouting."_ Yuuki's eyes rolled slightly as they closed, and they weren't as easy to open. _"If you find an ogre alone, then always know there's a pack nearby."_ Sango's voice faded away as she collapsed. With a wet slap her body fell face first into the watery grass, lying motionless with the smoking dead ogre body.

* * *

With a great thud another ogre's body collapsed. Sesshomaru stared down at it unfeeling as he twirled his Tokijin, with a hard flick ridding it of the weak demon's blood.

Around him laid dead a whole pack of ogres, twenty or so. The rain finally began to lighten up some after he finished his brief battle. _Far too simple_ , he thought, sheathing his sword. The pack sent a scout too close to the camp Jaken and Rin had created. After Jaken's shouting and Rin's shrill scream, Sesshomaru appeared quickly enough to cut it down.

And so he decided to rid of the rest of them. _One wandered off somewhere_ , he vaguely realized, looking towards the broken path. Staring through the rain, he knew that the ogre was wandering far from the campsite and would not dare return. _I suppose there's nothing more to do_. If that ogre were to find another wandering pack, there was a chance they would return and bother him again.

So to sate a certain boredom, he followed the path.

Along with the sound of rain, Sesshomaru's steps squished in the water logged ground. Finding the end of the path he froze. He stared at the ogre before him; eyes replaced by bloody darkness that streamed down its face, the leg that he had wounded lightly hanging on by the bone, an arm missing a hand. It wasn't a clean kill, it was more of a mutilation.

First he sniffed the air. The heavy rain had diluted nearly everything, even the foul stench of the ogre's blood. However, above all else, flowers.

His eyes widened slightly. _Wisteria_...?

Swiftly he moved around the ogre and sure enough he found her. Lying face down in the wet grass, body stained with mud and ogre's blood.

 _Yuuki..!_

In the next instant he was kneeling beside her, pushing her onto her back. He looked her over; face pale and contorted in pain, chest rising slightly, rapidly, with short shallow breaths. He reached for her face, but even hovering his fingers over her skin he could feel the heat radiating off her. Sniffing again he could clearly smell sickness. _It's familiar_ , he thought, _an illness Rin had before..._

After looking her over, he realized that she had no wounds. He narrowed his eyes and looked to the ogre again. _She killed that demon in her sickly state?_ He looked back down at her in slight intrigue. _And without her weapons._ It was near impossible for a lone human to defeat an Ogre Ram on their own, yet here she was without injury, against the odds. As Yuuki gasped for breath, Sesshomaru was brought to his senses.

He would bring her to the camp, that was already decided. However looking to the side he noticed her pack of things. They were Yuuki's things, no doubt she would be in need of them if that was all she had. Laying her down and leaving her for a moment, he knelt down to collect the contents, food rations and- books... He narrowed his eyes and grabbed one, inspecting it. _Mathematics_... After tucking it away he grabbed another, _Science_... The future she was from was well versed in studies it seemed. He tucked them back into her bag and secured her things. First he slung her bag over his shoulder and then turned to her. Using his one arm and mokomoko once more, he picked her up and carried her back through the forest.

The rain let up. Upon reaching the campsite, Rin and Jaken were just as happy as ever to have their lord return. "Lord Sesshoma-!" Rin gasped, hands clapping over her mouth. "My lord! You have Yuuki!"

"My lord!" Jaken rushed up to him looking bewildered. "Why do you- how did you come about her!?"

"We thought you were just killing the ogre's, my lord!"

"She was alone in the woods," he explained and laid her down by the fire. With the storm passing, the sun began to fall with the dark clouds still hovering. As darkness quickly fell, the fire crackled, and the warmth helped with her shaking. Sesshomaru stepped back and as Jaken and Rin gathered around to inspect her.

"Lord Sesshomaru, she doesn't look well," Rin said and looked back at him worried. "What do we do? We do not have any medicine."

Dropping her bag, he replied, "Jaken."

"Y-Yes, my lord!"

Quickly standing at attention Sesshomaru said to him, "The ogres have been dealt with. Watch over them while I'm gone. I'll return shortly."

"As you wish, my lord-!" He winced away as Sesshomaru took to the air, flying off over the forest. Jaken sighed heavily, looking back towards Rin who hovered worriedly over Yuuki. "And once again I'm left with this task..."

Well, thankfully they had already prepared for the night. Ah-Un was fed and meat was skewered by the fire. Yet it was slightly stressful for him for his master to be gone again, to get attacked by ogres, and then suddenly his master drops _this_ human on him again. With a sigh Jaken settled by the fire next to the girl's odd shoes. _Again Lord Sesshomaru helps her_ , he thought, eyeing her face as Rin checked her forehead temperature. The same human he took _such_ a keen interest in at Naraku's last castle. _I don't know what's special about her, but oh well_. As a faithful servant and follower of Lord Sesshomaru, he wouldn't question too much.

Jaken then blinked and realized Rin was going through Yuuki's backpack. Snapping to reality he exclaimed, "Rin! What are you doing!? Those aren't yours!"

"But it's Yuuki's," she argued, and pulled out a blanket. "Yuuki trusts me, so I'm using her things the way she'd want." She said it with such confidence that Jaken hesitated, lacking an argument. Sighing, he gave up and let her do as she would. _Since when did_ they _become so close?_ Instead he sat by the fire and waited for their meat to finish cooking.

Rin draped Yuuki's blanket over her and tried to make her comfortable. The young girl even ran off to gather some foliage to create some comfort for her head. "I remember how I felt when I was ill," she said aloud and Jaken glanced at her. Rin smiled, "Yuuki, do you need some water?"

Jaken looked to Yuuki, but the woman didn't respond. "She doesn't seem conscious, Rin."

"Maybe," she replied, kneeling close beside her. "But it's hard to sleep when you're sick." Leaning in close, she smiled as she asked again, "Yuuki? Are you thirsty? Do you need water?"

Yuuki coughed lightly. " _Nngh_... wh... wha... plea..." It took great effort to speak.

However Rin heard her words and jumped to her feet, running off. "Rin!" Jaken yelled after her.

"I'll be back!" She called back, "I'm getting water!" After stealing a bamboo container from Ah-Un's saddle she ran off.

Jaken opened his mouth, but gave up. He sighed again and frowned over at Yuuki, seeing her struggle. _Perhaps she saved Rin's life_ , he thought. However an obscure connection was being created in his imp mind. _Even if Lord Sesshomaru appreciated that, the extent he's gone through for this girl is more than necessary._ It was too much of an effort- he wouldn't forget how his lord kept her by her side when her body was far too still back in the flower fields. He frowned even more to himself. _He still believes his actions aren't obvious to me._

Jaken would keep his thoughts to himself. Anyways, with the area now cleared of danger he felt that he could finally relax once in a long while.

Rin rushed back with the water and lifted Yuuki's head, helping her to drink.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru wasted no time in reaching the cave cliff of old lady Baba. When he landed his demonic energies dispersed, and the old hag was already mumbling and grumbling as she slowly made her way to the front of her cave, glowering at the tall demon. "You're back, three-legged-mongrel. Tell me, what is it this time?" Eyeing him, he didn't have a human girl with him. "Back to finally kill me?"

"The priestess I brought before," he said and she narrowed her eyes. "You remember her, yes?"

"I'm old, not stupid." With that she spat at his feet, but he wasn't bothered by it. Eyeing him, seeing no reaction, she decided that it was rather serious. "Fine. What _about_ the priestess girl?"

"She's ill," he replied. "Similar to the illness you treated with Rin before."

" _Oh?_ " Baba-sama eyed the Dog Demon Lord. _That girl Rin only had a simple cold, easy to overcome_. Yet the fact that his demon lord was concerned by a priestess made her vaguely confused. Looking at him she could tell he was an old beast that was yet still young. She scoffed, turning back to her cave. "So, you haven't eaten her yet, have you? Taken her virtue? What an _honorable_ demon you are."

Sesshomaru blinked. Perhaps the only tell tale sign that her disrespectful words finally got to him. He moved forward after her- "Heel!" She spun around and held her small wrinkly hand out. He stopped and stared down at her. Looking down his aristocratic nose with such cold demonic eyes, the pupils turning to slits, his pureblood markings turning jagged. He made sure the old priestess hag could feel his true demonic aura.

Lowering her hand she frowned at him with her wrinkly face. "Oh, put yer pecker away, ya dog." Without concern she turned back and continued into the cave. "I know not what ya plan on doing to the poor girl, however I _do_ know a priestess with potential when I see one. Of course I'll help the girl."

Sesshomaru relaxed, returning to something of a normal self. Still he continued into the cave, pushing aside the growing vines that blocked it off. She bustled about, collecting hanging dried herbs to create a concoction. "She's a special one, that girl," she was saying. Settling down, she began grinding the herbs. "I noticed when I first treated her. A rare power that's tapped by only a few. _Seishin_ , the power fueled by the energies of the world around us."

Sesshomaru simply stared. _Seishin_. He didn't recognize the name, nor did he care. A human capability in an attempt to fight demons. _Priestesses wield holy powers, and perhaps more powerful than some_. The same said for demons. And the battle between demons and the holy humans was far longer than even his father was alive.

 _Father_... It was an odd thought to have for him.

"It's a special power," Baba-sama continued. "Something lost by the known world." She sighed, perhaps in remorse. "Tis' a shame..." Even while Baba-sama spoke of the powers, something she felt familiar with, the knowledge she possessed seemed to slip away like a mist. _It's too strange_...

Sesshomaru looked away, bored while she continued to work, adding boiling water from her fire to her concoction. She spoke again, "Of course... after I heal her with this potion, if you _don't_ eat her..."

He glanced at her again. She smiled over her shoulder, "She can become powerful enough to destroy even _you_."

The thought made her cackle as she continued to work. Sesshomaru continued to watch the old hag as she made her potion. _Powerful enough to destroy me?_ His mouth almost twitched into a smile. An interesting thought. Imagining that woman being a challenge for him made him want to test that old hag's theory. _A human from another world barely capable of fighting on her own_... However, quickly remembering, all amusement left his face. She was ill, and he was unsure how humans faired with sickness. He only knew them as weak, easily killable creatures.

 _Yet Yuuki_ can't _be weak.._.

There was a silence as Baba-sama made her potion. She eventually spoke up again, "Tell me demon, is it a simple sickness?"

Sesshomaru glanced at her again. In his silence she rolled her eyes and glanced back at him, "What I mean, mutt, is that is it sickness or is it something more? Is she weak? From what? I need parameters, dog."

It felt exhausting to even listen to her. "She was found alone face down in the rain," he replied. She frowned at how descriptive he was. _I thought he'd give a half-ass remark_. "I smelled a sickness on her, yet she was weaker than that. She had battled an Ogre Ram on her own with no wounds."

"An Ogre Ram, eh?" With that Baba-sama returned to her work. _Eyes as purple as wisteria flowers_... Something felt off ever since she met that girl. Something was missing in her memory and Baba-sama knew it. She wouldn't be played a fool by any force. _Considering that girl is from elsewhere_...

She finished grinding the herbs and then poured some water into the pot over the fire. The old woman sat back down, frowning at the fire as she waited for the water to boil. "Demon Lord..." Sesshomaru glanced at her, her back to him. "Her eyes... What clan is she from?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. _Clan?_

It seemed his hesitation was too long as she scoffed. "Right, of course you wouldn't know. You know nothing of our kind."

"I know you are easy to kill."

"My, how _scary_." She snorted, stoking the fire. "You think those words scare me, mutt? I know firsthand how easy it is to kill our kind. I know how easy it is for _you_ to kill our kind." She shifted in the dirt and turn to him, frowning. "Answer me, demon. What family does that priestess belong to?"

Sesshomaru stared at her for a moment. "She said her name was Fujiwara Yuuki."

"Fujiwara..." With a hum, her wrinkly mouth frowned deeply as she stared back into the fire. "That name... there is a curse over that name."

"You know of her lineage?" He wasn't so much curious for himself as he was for her.

"I did once," she replied. Her beady black eyes narrowed as she tried to remember. Yet like an old dream she couldn't remember the details, and it seemed false. "A curse prevents me from remembering. Perhaps anyone from remembering. One thing is for certain; if things continue as they are for her she is doomed."

Sesshomaru turned to her at that. "Doomed, you say? If she's truly weak then nothing can be done for her in that case."

She nearly snorted at his arrogance. "Oh, the big bad _dog_ that doesn't give a damn." She spat to the side once more. Adding weigh to her voice she said, "All dogs are the same; _loyal_. Just to whom depends on you."

He frowned. _No more than loyal dogs_. Her words would have her decapitated right then. _Yet I don't kill her_.

 _"Sesshomaru... Have you someone to protect?"_

Sesshomaru flinched and headed out of the cave. The memories of his father from so long ago echoed distantly in his mind. On the cliff on that new moon night... It made a part of him furious, yet he didn't know why. _I think of that memory now? Why?_ His father was far beyond that of a common dog demon. _Dogs loyal to masters_... His father was loyal, but to a _human_ woman. And lost his life.

 _Why?_

"I do not care for the woman's well being," he finally said. "Her life has merely stumbled into mine because we have a common enemy. Her life is a pawn in Naraku's game and so long as she's close I can find him easily. Should she die now, I lose nothing."

 _Yes, die, to a common cold_ , she thought sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Hm. _Right_." Baba-sama did not care anymore for the half-assed lies he'd make for his own pride. Instead she watched the steam rise from the pot as the water boiled. While she continued to make her potion, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in a cold glare out at the night sky.

He hated the way this old, weak, frail human hag made him feel.

After Baba-sama finished her potion, pouring it into a bottle and corking it, she handed it to Sesshomaru with a few words. "After she drinks this she needs to-"

He flew off, the wind blasting her in the face.

She frowned deeply after him."Damn, three-legged-mutt." She spat after him and retreated to her hole. _The great Inu-Taisho.._. Dropping down in front of the fire, she randomly pulled out some fried squid from her sleeves and munched on that as she thought. She had heard stories of the demon that had protected all of Nippon, commanding all sorts of demons in an army on several occasions. Defending the East from the bugs of the other continent, and the West from the wild cats, and the North from the great Elk-Horse Demon. To think she was dealing with the _son_ of that beast.

She chewed as she thought, knowing his prideful nature. After swallowing she stared into the fire and said, "I pray knows his loyalty, and _fails_ her." As a sacrifice she tossed in the rest of her fried squid to the fire.

Even if he was the son of a great demon that helped the humans, Sesshomaru was one that still had too much to learn. And he would learn the hard way.

As Sesshomaru flew through the night, holding the warm bottle of medicine, he was questioning himself. Humans were less than nothing. Annoyances. Yet here he was making sure Yuuki recovered from her sickness. He could toss the bottle away, leaving her to overcome the illness on her own. If she was so weak and died then that would be the nature of humans. Something that shouldn't surprise him.

Yet in the back of his mind, he didn't want to risk it. So he thought to himself _, I need her to tell me what happened on Asagiri Island, that's all. After that she will be on her own._

 _"Know your loyalty and fail her."_

Sesshomaru halted and stared back towards the old woman. Something settled over him and it made him feel uneasy. Shoving the feeling aside he quickly hurried on.

Returning to camp, he was once again greeted happily by Rin and Jaken. "Lord Sesshomaru!" They both jumped up and hurried over to him. Jaken was the first to notice, "Lord Sesshomaru, what is that in your hand?"

"Huh?" Rin leaned over and tried to see as well. "Lord Sesshomaru, is that medicine from Baba-sama?"

"Here, Rin." Sesshomaru handed her the bottle. "Make sure she takes it."

"Okay!" Rin hurried back to Yuuki's side and placed her head in her lap to help hold it up.

While Rin helped the medicine down her throat, Jaken blinked over at them and then at his lord, who walked away to sit beneath a tree. _He went back to that old hermit for medicine?_ He would have thought that Sesshomaru would have killed her a long time ago. Yuuki choked a bit and coughed, but Rin quickly helped her drink some water.

Sighing, Jaken wandered over to the two of them and stared down at Yuuki's sickly face. "Well? Is she better yet?"

"Master Jaken, I don't think medicine works that quickly."

"Perhaps not. Well once she sleeps she might be better in the morning."

Rin stroked Yuuki's hair and said, "I hope so."

Sesshomaru looked over at them, seeing Yuuki's slowly relax. Her breathing returned to normal and she seemed to slip into a peaceful sleep. Seeing that, he was able to close his eyes and rest as well.


End file.
